


Evil Phineas

by TheCartoonFanatic01



Category: Phineas and Ferb
Genre: Action & Romance, Adventure & Romance, Comedy, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Drama & Romance, Epic Battles, Eventual Romance, Evil Phineas Flynn, F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-12
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-04-17 23:20:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 126,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21763804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCartoonFanatic01/pseuds/TheCartoonFanatic01
Summary: When Phineas is hit by Doofenshmirtz's reconstructed Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator, he becomes a villain out to conquer the world. Now, Ferb, Candace, Perry, Isabella, and the entire gang must find a way to save Phineas before it's too late. R&R!
Relationships: Candace Flynn/Jeremy Johnson, Django Brown/Adyson Sweetwater, Phineas Flynn/Isabella Garcia-Shapiro
Comments: 89
Kudos: 101





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Perry concludes another day of fighting Dr. Doofenshmirtz, while Doofenshmirtz hatches another scheme.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I bet you didn't see this one coming!
> 
> Yes, your eyes don't deceive you. "Evil Phineas" is here. It's here, and here to stay for good!
> 
> Before I begin, I'd like to provide some background for anyone who's new or has forgotten about what's happened. See, once upon a time, "Evil Phineas" was published on September 18, 2011, on FanFiction.Net and quickly became one of the star fics of the "Phineas and Ferb" fandom. Not to mention it was my first fic ever, my prized firstborn, I should say. But then, about a couple of years back, I got into some trouble with a watchdog user who was on the lookout for Content Guideline violations and would've reported me to the site. I didn't want to risk getting blocked, but there were some scenes in this fic (and others to my name) that counted as violations and would've required a whole lot of rewriting and restructuring if I wanted to salvage it. I didn't know if I was on a ticking clock or not, so I just went for broke and deleted everything. I know, genius right?
> 
> Naturally, I got a lot of flak from my fans for that, and I also wound up regretting the whole thing. I wanted to bring the deleted stories back with the necessary fixes. These feelings were reinforced by the conclusion of "Phineas and Ferb" itself; I was so sad to see the show go and I thought it was a good time for me to bring the stories back in order to celebrate its legacy and the impact it had on me. But unfortunately, I didn't have the chapters saved somewhere else because I thought I wouldn't need them anymore. As far as I was concerned, my stories were lost forever, now the stuff of Internet tales that would've piqued the interest of Lost Media Wiki.
> 
> Then, by the grace of God, Buddha, Allah, Zeus, Arceus, and all the Internet and video gaming gods, I found someone on this very site who had gone through the trouble of salvaging absolutely EVERYTHING I deleted. I'm not sure if he/she is comfortable with me sharing his/her username, so I'll hold off on it for now. But anyway, this user had EVERYTHING. I am not joking. It's all the way down to the last letter.
> 
> As for why it's here, I've decided to seize this opportunity to circumvent those Content Guideline violations on FanFiction.Net by posting the chapters here, WITHOUT any rewrites or censorship. So, "Evil Phineas" is still on FanFiction.Net, but this version on Archive Of Our Own is the full, uncensored version of that same story.
> 
> Okay, I think I'm rambling. On to the prologue! ENJOY!
> 
> Disclaimer: I DO NOT own "Phineas and Ferb"! Only in my dreams!

It was a peaceful night in the city of Danville, U.S.A. The full moon was present in the cloudless sky, bathing the city with brilliant rays of moonlight. Downtown was as busy as ever, while the suburbs were very quiet, save the occasional chirp of a cricket or bark of a dog.

However, it wouldn't have been that way had an extraordinary platypus living at 2308 Maple Drive not acted.

This platypus, named Perry, thought about what occurred during the past several hours as he rested on one of his owners, Phineas Flynn. It had just been last morning when his superior, Major Francis Monogram, assigned him to help his colleagues at the O.W.C.A. stop the League of Villainous Evildoers Maniacally United For Frightening Investments in Naughtiness (a.k.a. L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N., humorously) from enacting its master plan to conquer the Tri-State Area. Never before had Perry seen his arch-nemesis and the leader of L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N., Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, come so close to achieving his goal aside from the time he constructed the Other-Dimension-Inator. It was a good thing Doofenshmirtz set a bear-sized cage trap on Sergei the Snail.

Looking at Phineas, Perry smiled. When he was told that he was meant to become a secret agent for the Organization Without a Cool Acronym, Perry privately vowed to become one so he can prevent any harm from coming to his host family, especially Phineas and his stepbrother Ferb, the both of whom he became close to ever since they first bought him from the O.W.C.A. pet shelter five years. Perry can still imagine the two boys originally planning to call him 'Bartholomew'.

However, Perry sometimes wished that he was allowed the liberty of exposing his secret to his owners. He _was_ able to, but for a good reason: Phineas and Ferb were about to be assaulted to a robotic version of himself, and he had to act. But now, the two boys are unable to remember what happened during that fateful day from particular circumstances. Perry was glad it happened, otherwise he would have to be sent to a faraway town and another host family for Phineas and Ferb's safeties, but how he wished there was a third option.

Shifting his glance from Phineas to Ferb, Perry knew that it was all for the best, and that yet another day of protecting the two boys was spent well, and that the forces of evil wouldn't be able to hold them in its grasp until tomorrow.

With his sight becoming blurry from sleepiness, Perry immediately surrendered and allowed the comfort of sleep to engulf him.

Yep, this was his life, all right.

* * *

_ **Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated! In the nighttime!** _

Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz couldn't sleep tonight. Today had been a rather hectic day for him. It all started when he gathered his followers in another L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. meeting to enact their plan to take over the Tri-State Area. The meeting was interrupted by the O.W.C.A. agents, including his own arch-nemesis, the accursed Perry the Platypus. Fortunately for him, he was prepared: he set cage traps on every animal agent, and success was in reach of the malevolent organization. Unfortunately, he didn't count on the O.W.C.A. sending the same snail agent they temporarily replaced Perry with, and the snail had to be contained in a cage that was intended for a bear agent who was absent at the time.

What's worse, right after the latest failure of L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N., every member was upset with him for his foolish mistake. Doofenshmirtz began to fear that either the organization will be disbanded or that a new leader will be assigned. If the latter choice was true, then Doofenshmirtz hoped that they wouldn't vote for Rodney, his rival.

Doofenshmirtz's thoughts were interrupted by his doorbell ringing.

"I'll answer that!" came the optimistic, robotic voice of his robotic servant Norm.

A few seconds later, Doofenshmirtz heard the sound of wood breaking and metal being crushed.

"Oh, not again Norm!" groaned the evil scientist as he made his way to the front door. Norm stood beside it, holding the now-crushed doorknob in his hands; a piece of wood was attached to it.

"I'm sorry, sir," Norm replied, still optimistic.

Doofenshmirtz sighed angrily and procured a ray gun from his pajamas. He fired at the door, which swung open immediately, revealing his fellow L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. members, all bandaged from fights with the O.W.C.A. agents earlier. They were led by Rodney, bandages wrapped around his ridiculously large head.

"Hey, everyone!" Doofenshmirtz greeted, hoping to settle on a positive subject. "Do you like my Door-Opener-Inator? I thought it up when-"

"Enough of your ridiculous back-stories, Doofenshmirtz!" Rodney scolded, cutting the other evil scientist off. "We all willingly woke up in the middle of the night so we can come here to talk about what went down earlier today!"

"Yeah!" said a red-haired scientist. "About our latest failure, all because of a snail and a bear-sized cage!"

"Settle down, Dr. Bloodpudding," Doofenshmirtz said wearily, "I can explain!"

"We don't care about your explanations, Doofenshmirtz," Rodney replied. "While we were up on our way to your place, we all had a discussion, and we unanimously agreed to revoke you of your status as the leader of L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N.!"

Doofenshmirtz felt as if the ground collapsed beneath him. "What?" he shrieked. "But I founded it! I'm its leader!"

"Sure, you founded it," said a woman with brown hair oddly shaped like a helmet. "But you don't live up to our expectations as the organization's megalomaniacal leader!"

"I _am_ megalomaniacal, Helmetair!" protested Doofenshmirtz. "It's just that my accursed nemesis Perry the Platypus keeps thwarting my plans every day! You all should know how I feel, you have a nemesis that's an O.W.C.A. agent!"

"We've thought about that too, Doofenshmirtz," Bloodpudding said, "and we've decided, for your sake, that no one's gonna be leader of L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. Not until we find a _truly_ evil villain who will help us achieve success in our goal to conquer the Tri-State Area and enslave its inhabitants!"

Suddenly, a light bulb practically went off in Doofenshmirtz's head. A marvelous idea swept his mind, a wonderful, _marvelous_ idea. How come he never thought of it?

"_Or_," said Doofenshmirtz, "we can _make _a truly evil villain who will help us achieve success in our goal to conquer the Tri-State Area and enslave its inhabitants!"

"What do you mean _make_?" Rodney asked.

"I can just reconstruct my Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator and use it on myself so I can become even more evil!" Doofenshmirtz explained. "Foolproof, isn't it?"

The nine other scientists just stared at him before bursting into fits of laughter.

"What? Is it because I said this in my pajamas?"

"No," replied Rodney when he stopped laughing. "It's just that you said your nemesis Perry the Platypus foils your plans every day. Chances are he's gonna come and thwart you again, Doofenshmirtz!"

"Now that you mention it, it's plausible," Doofenshmirtz said. "Which is why I'm appointing you all to help me in my scheme!"

The rest of L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. stared at him before a short scientist asked, "How?"

"Easy, Diminuitive. Some of you can help me reconstruct my Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator, while the rest can stand guard for Perry the Platypus!"

The rest of the scientists looked at one another before reluctantly nodding and giving signs of approval.

"This had better work, Doofenshmirtz," Rodney said as he left the room, followed by the rest of the villains. Doofenshmirtz prepared to close the door when he realized it was still damaged.

"Great," he said. "I still need to repair this thing before I get back to sleep. Norm, get me my toolbox!"

"Yes, sir!" the robot replied, striding off to retrieve Doofenshmirtz's desired object.

With Norm out of sight, Doofenshmirtz quietly snickered to himself evilly.

_"Soon,"_ he thought. _"I will become truly evil, and the Tri-State Area will soon be under the control of L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N.! Not even Perry the Platypus can stop me this time!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You have NO IDEA how happy I am to see my old work again and bring it back in full form. And now that I have the time, resources, and motivation, I can bring this whole fic back in a big way. Once again, I will have to credit the aforementioned user who found a way to salvage all of my deleted stories and keep it for themselves until the time was right. Give that person a round of applause, everybody!
> 
> Anyway, I thought about taking this opportunity to proofread and edit my old work, but after a while, I decided not to. You have to understand: this story is a relic of the height of "Phineas and Ferb". I remember how big of a show it was to a lot of people, how enthusiastic its fandom was, and especially how kind and interactive the creators were towards the fandom. Though I may have ultimately moved on from that show and to other stuff in my eight-plus years of fanfiction writing, "Phineas and Ferb" ultimately still has a special place in my heart.
> 
> Now that I am close to graduating from college, I decided now was a good time to resurrect this project and bring it back for readers, new and old, to read and enjoy. I'm not sure if the story's popularity will reach the same peak it achieved by the time I unceremoniously deleted it. However, I just want to let all of my first readers and fans know that I never forgot about this story, and that I still cherish it from the bottom of my heart. That's the bottom line here.
> 
> As for the other stories I deleted during that same time period, I'm still internally debating over what I should do with them. I'm no longer really that happy about how one of them turned out, while the other can be considered, well...pretty insensitive given this time and age, mildly speaking. We'll see.
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this comeback! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	2. Happy Birthday, Dad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Flynn-Fletcher family celebrates Dad's birthday. The only problem: the Dad we're talking about isn't Lawrence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I read this chapter, I realized how much my OC, Phillip Flynn, was taken by KicsterAsh's own OC, Francis Flynn. I remember seeing her art and being so impressed by it that I wanted to implement it somehow in my first fic. Obviously my fifteen-year-old self's creative faculties weren't as developed at that time, and thus Phillip was written pretty much as a semi-blatant ripoff of Francis. Looking back at it, it's pretty embarrassing, to be honest. I'm way above ripping off the ideas of others without asking for permission first nowadays. :P
> 
> Speaking of which, I hear KicsterAsh helped design the older versions of the gang for the episode "Act Your Age". I don't remember if that was confirmed or not, but it's awesome if that was so. Like I said before, the creators, Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, are so interactive and nice to the fandom.
> 
> Anyway, enough reminiscing! On with the chapter. ENJOY!

The Flynn-Fletcher household had never been so quiet. Today was very special day for especially the Flynn portion of the family, and yet a single mention of it would bring sadness to any Flynn's eyes instead of happiness. Lawrence and Ferb have long known that it was best to respect the fact that none of the Flynns wanted to talk about it until the day came. For today was the birthday of Phillip Daniel Flynn, Linda's first husband, and Phineas and Candace's biological father.

It wasn't that Phillip was horrible to Linda, or Phineas or Candace, but what really happened hurt all the same. Linda spent most of the day being silent and not committing to her usual routine of going out someplace with Lawrence. Candace would begin the day by not answering her mom's calls to go downstairs for a couple of hours, instead keeping herself shut in her room for the time being. What she did inside there was a mystery, but when she did come downstairs, she would always be clutching her Ducky Momo toy, a beloved present from Phillip during her fourth birthday.

But what Phineas did during that particular day was a pure wreck. He would sometimes spend several minutes being silent before bursting out into fits of sobbing at random times, the frequency of such sobs not taking any discernible pattern and just out of the air. It was up to only Lawrence to assuage his stepson, because if Linda took on the responsibility, she would just join the crying. And if that was worse, the next fact would just tear Ferb and anyone else for that matter to shreds. It was that he never shows any sign of optimism during that day. Not even a flash. It would be during this day that Phineas wouldn't tell Ferb on what they were going to be inventing today, and that the kids of Danville were never going to enjoy the newest products from who they called "The Amazing Phineas and Ferb". Phineas would just spend the day looking downcast and miserable.

Never before would Maple Drive feel so gray.

* * *

It was noontime, and the Flynn-Fletcher family was ready to depart. All were wearing their best formal clothes, each of them colored in a depressing black. Lawrence decided to spare Linda of the duty of putting away the dishware by doing it himself. Candace had come out of her room and, as predicted, was clutching her Ducky Momo doll as if it were her last hope of salvation. Phineas and Ferb were both at the doorway, the former not flashing his trademark smile of bright optimism. Perry was beside Phineas, still committing to his mission to look mindless but looking up at his owner with concern.

"All right everyone, let's go," announced Lawrence.

The family exited the house and approached the orange family sedan. Ferb had noticed that during the entire summer, he and Phineas had seldom ridden on it, as they were busy with their big ideas. Opening the door and sitting on a cushion that appeared to be unfamiliar, the green-haired British boy watched as his stepsiblings followed pursuit. Candace was still clutching her Ducky Momo toy.

When Lawrence and Linda seated themselves as well, Lawrence started the sedan's engine and backed the automobile out of the parkway and into the street. Then driving down Maple Drive, the three children watched quietly as the houses beside the sedan moved past them with slight blurs. Phineas was briefly able to spot one of his friends Django Brown, who was riding down the sidewalk on a scooter that looked brand-new, but he didn't bother to say hi.

After a few minutes, the sedan entered a highway and the entire family watched as downtown Danville came into view. Eventually passing into it, Phineas, Ferb, and Candace watched as several buildings they knew flew past them: the Googolplex Mall, Har D Har Toy Corporation, Huge-O-Records, and the Museum of Natural History, amongst other things.

Finally, after taking several more turns, Lawrence made a right and made a stop at the local downtown cemetery.

Without bothering to tell the family they were here, Lawrence opened his door and stepped out of the car, followed by the rest. Walking inside the cemetery, Ferb made another note to himself: it was a rather windy day, and it seemed to match the mood pretty well. Dried leaves and dandelion seeds flew about, slightly spraying them, and the blades of grass seemed to wave at the family as they made their progress toward Phillip's gravestone.

Reaching the gravestone, Lawrence and Ferb both took a few steps back to allow the Flynns some privacy. Candace, still holding Ducky Momo in her grasp, was the one who took a step forward first, and she read the tombstone to herself.

_ **Phillip Daniel Flynn  
** _ _ **August 3rd, 1966-August 3rd, 2000  
** _ _ **A Beloved Husband and Father  
** _ _ **Carpe Diem** _

A tear slid down Candace's eye. 'Carpe Diem' was Phillip's catchphrase, and though she now found it a bit corny, it always seemed to lighten up Candace's spirits, as well as that of Phineas's.

Feeling a hand slide into hers, she saw that Phineas was holding her hand as he stared at the gravestone, Perry by his side still. Candace smiled, and cogitated on a sentence she once said to him, right after rescuing him from slipping from his grasp and falling to his doom into a river.

_"You may be a pain, but you are my brother."_

It was one of the few positive comments that Candace made to her brother in recent years, and the one she was the most proud of. All of a sudden, she remembered why she wanted to bust her brothers in the first place, a reason that has long slipped her mind. The moment she first saw Phineas and Ferb building the rollercoaster in their backyard, she knew that they were endangered. What if the thing collapsed on them at any moment? It sure looked fragile. Or what if they fell while finishing the last touches on one of the ride's arches? It sure seemed possible. The thing was, if anything happened to them, then it would be her father all over again, tossing his own life away for the pleasure of his kids. She was determined to never let that happen to them, even if they were designing the most minor of things.

But what annoyed her to an extent on this mission was that somehow everything disappears before her mother shows up. Every effort, every call, every hour of wasting her mother's time was put to its own waste, for there was always nothing in the end but an empty backyard. She sometimes contemplated on giving up, seeing that they haven't suffered even a scrape. But she always remembered her father, and she was re-inspired to pursue the situation again at the next chance.

Looking at Phineas, the teenage girl wondered what her brilliant brother would do next.

Finally, a noise escaped Phineas's mouth. It wasn't a sigh, or a sob, or a short gasp, or anything to indicate that he was going to snap soon. It was a word.

"Dad."

The entire Flynn-Fletcher family watched as Phineas began to speak for the first time today. Even Perry briefly took the risk of blowing his cover by looking at Phineas with regular eyes.

"Happy birthday, Dad. I don't know what you might say to that, maybe a 'Thanks, son' or a 'That's powerful words there, sport'. I wish I could find out how you will say to that; even trying to find out what you'd say to me at this age is interesting to me, apparently. Well, life's good. I'm still maintaining a good relationship with my brother Ferb. Perry's doing fine for a platypus. My current dad is the best stepfather I've ever seen and Mom and Candace are also doing well. And I'm still following what you would always say to me, Dad. Carpe Diem.

"I never waste a minute doing what I can to seize the day, to make every second of summer count. So far, summer's been a blast. I wish I can tell you what Ferb and I did to make summer fun, but I don't want to, you know, to, uh, _hog_ Mom and Candace's speeches to you. I think I used hog correctly; I hear Candace use it sometimes."

Candace made a small smile.

"Anyway, I miss you, Dad," Phineas continued. "I miss the way I wake up to 'Good morning, Inventor Extraordinaire' or how you would fix one of my things or even make a cool invention for me. I miss the way you say 'Carpe Diem' to me and Candace, and how you would do anything to make us happy and make every day of our lives count. I miss everything about you, Dad. I-I... I..."

Phineas was about to burst into tears at this point. Lawrence stepped forward and tried to comfort his son, but it was too late. He practically exploded and his emotions began flooding out like water bursting from a dam.

"WHY DAD?" he cried. "WHY'D YOU HAVE TO GO? I MISS YOU, DAD! WHY WERE YOU THE ONLY ONE WHO HAD TO DIE? I WANT YOU TO COME BACK DAD! I WANT YOU TO!"

Phineas then lost himself in his own tears. Linda made the mistake of trying to help her second husband comfort her son, only to start crying herself. With Lawrence trying to juggle between Phineas and Linda, Candace looked down at the ground, downcast.

"You okay?"

Ferb had spoken his first words of the day. Candace looked at her British stepbrother and replied quietly, "I just wish it didn't go down like this. Sometimes I wonder if this could all have been prevented..."

"Sometimes," Ferb said, "it's best if things carry on as planned. It's called fate."

Candace looked at him. "I don't even know why fate does what it does. It might as well be reveling in our pain right now."

Ferb didn't reply to that.

* * *

It had taken an hour for Phineas to stop crying. Ferb had seldom seen Phineas cry before, and it was painful when he saw such an occurrence happen. Linda also stopped crying, and she and Candace gave their speeches to Phillip's grave before it was time to leave.

Candace was about to follow her family before she stopped and looked at her Ducky Momo toy. She never noticed that she still had it with her the whole time, and upon looking at it, Candace could feel her four-year-old self looking back at her through the toy's plastic eyes. She suddenly felt a compulsion to do something, but she didn't know what. Giving in to this compulsion, she found herself walking back to Phillip's grave and placing the Ducky Momo doll beside the roses discarded for their deceased father.

"Are you sure?"

It was her mother, a few inches away from her. Candace looked at Linda, then back at the toy, and just replied:

"Nah. I've got another one back at home."

And with that, Candace and Linda followed Phineas, Ferb, and Lawrence back to the sedan while the Ducky Momo toy continued to sit innocently on Phillip's gravestone, beside the roses, becoming coated with the summer leaves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I remember being in an edgy, emo-like phase during the first two years of high school, which was the same time I started writing "Evil Phineas". That is most likely why this fic went down a dark, depressing route instantly. Gotta love the gloomy, dreary life of high school. XD XD XD
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this re-released chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	3. Cheering Phineas Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isabella tries to cheer up a depressed Phineas, but doesn't succeed. Later, she and Ferb hold a meeting with the kids of Maple Drive to decide on how to cheer Phineas up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like my fifteen-year-old self was also aware of the similarities between Francis Flynn and Phillip Flynn, yet I still went with it anyway. I was so shameless back in the day. Sweet. XP

Isabella watched as the orange sedan that belonged to the Flynn-Fletcher family parked itself alongside the sidewalk adjacent to 2308 Maple Drive. The family stepped out of the vehicle and walked towards the front door, clearly not engaging in any conversation. The ten-year-old girl pursed her lips at the ghastly sight of Phineas's face. It looked as though he was crying, his eyes red and his cheeks slightly puffy; he was also sniffling occasionally, and his smile was absent from his face. One thing was clear: this was not the Phineas Flynn she fell in love with seven years ago.

Isabella was well aware that today was a very special day for the Flynns, and she knew ever since she woke up this morning that it wasn't her cue to go to the Flynn-Fletcher backyard in response to sounds of construction and cutely ask her trademark phrase, "Whatcha doin'?"

Walking to the kitchen, Isabella became immersed in thought. She really hated this time of the year, for this was always the time she would have to see Phineas look downcast and go against his well-known optimistic personality. When she first met him upon moving to Danville, it was his optimism that led to her establishing her crush on him. But the first time she had to see the Flynns celebrate the birthday of Phineas and Candace's biological father Phillip, she nearly cried at the sight of Phineas. It was so out of character for him, and this sight has since haunted her dreams in subsequent years. She wished she could do something for him, but she really didn't know what.

Isabella was roughly pulled out of her musings by the ringing of her prized cell phone. Sighing, she answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Isabella?"

Isabella immediately realized it was the second-in-command of her Fireside Girls troop, Gretchen Davison.

"Oh, hey Gretchen," replied Isabella. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Nothing," Gretchen said. "I heard from Irving that today is the day that... that-"

Isabella cut her off. "I know. I don't know what to do. It's tears me apart to see Phineas so sad. It's been seven years since his real father died and he hasn't moved on yet."

"Maybe you can get him to move on."

Isabella's eyes widened. "Come again?"

"You can tell him that it's best to move on. That's what my father did to me when my mother died." There was a brief silence, and Isabella didn't know if that was because Gretchen began thinking about her mother. Finally, Gretchen's voice spoke again. "Please don't tell me that in seven years you haven't thought of talking to Phineas, to tell him to move on."

Isabella slapped her forehead. Gretchen was right: it has been seven years since Phillip died, and she never thought of talking to Phineas about it. She couldn't believe that it didn't come to her sooner.

"I don't know, Gretchen," replied Isabella. "Maybe I didn't talk to him because I didn't want to press the situation any further."

"If you don't want to see Phineas so down, then I suggest you talk to him. Besides, this'll probably be your chance to admit your feelings to him."

That got her. "I'm on it."

* * *

Isabella charily walked towards the gate leading into the Flynn-Fletcher backyard. She was now starting to think if this was a terrible idea or not. She had never bothered to talk to Phineas during this time of the year, and she didn't know how he would react to even the slightest word. All she ever did was give him some space, and when she felt like it was long enough, she'd go to their backyard and find Phineas and Ferb already building something amazing.

When she looked through a peephole in the gate, there was no construction going on. Instead, there was just Phineas, sitting under the backyard tree under which he thought up of all of his extraordinary inventions, sniffling. He was staring blankly into the house, undoubtedly lost in his own thoughts.

Gulping, Isabella began to regret her decision, but what Gretchen said to her kept her going.

_ **"Besides, this'll probably be your chance to admit your feelings to him."** _

However, Isabella felt that this was the wrong event to take advantage of in order to satisfy her needs to tell Phineas of her crush on him. After all, his father died seven years ago today, and using this anniversary as a means of letting her feelings out made Isabella feel as if she might as well not care about what happened, that she was selfish and she just wanted Phineas to understand how much she loved him from the start. And she wasn't that way, she definitely wasn't.

_"Maybe I'll just give him a kiss on the cheek as a way to make him feel better,"_ thought Isabella. _"That should be enough to tell him."_

Isabella smiled at her idea. A kiss on the cheek didn't seem enough for her to pour out her feelings, but if she did anything more, the consequences looked terrifying.

Opening the door into the backyard, Isabella saw Phineas look at her with freshly red eyes. He had obviously been crying some more.

"Hello, Phineas," she said. "Are you okay?"

Phineas sniffled and replied, "No. You should know why."

"I do, Phineas, I really do."

Isabella walked over to Phineas, who moved over slightly to give her some space to sit down on. The girl flashed a small smile at Phineas as thanks before sitting down.

"Look, Phineas," said Isabella, "I know how things are tough for you on this particular time of the year, I really do. I mean, that's what best friends are for, right?"

She almost choked on the words 'best friends', but she managed to pull it off efficiently.

Phineas looked at Isabella, and she almost flinched out the redness of the inventor's eyes. It looked as if they were about to blow up any second now.

"No."

Isabella's eyes widened at the word that escaped Phineas's mouth. She never expected to get a short, almost cold response like that.

"Pardon me?" she asked.

"No," replied Phineas. "No, you don't know. I'm sorry, but you don't know. You never had a father who wanted to please you every day and make your childhood count, who had to die while carrying a box thinking it contained a toy made by him. Who even knows what your father was like? He ditched you and your mother before you were even born! You're luckier than I am, not knowing your father rather than knowing your father only to be told one day that he picked up the wrong box and have it blow up all over his face. Literally."

In her mind, Isabella admitted that Phineas was right. She never knew her own father, for he indeed left her mother while she was still pregnant with her. Yes, she was lucky, not having to know that her father died because no one ever knew what happened to him afterwards. Nor did she know what her father was like because her mother rarely talked about him. As for Phineas, he had to suffer the whole package: he knew what his father was like, and almost three years into his life, he had to find out that Phillip Flynn was the only one who died in a bombing that injured seventeen other people. Isabella found herself pitying her friend and crush even more.

Sighing, she said, "Yes, yes I don't know how tough this tragedy was on you. I really don't. But what I do know is that this is taking a toll on you. I know how much you loved your father. I liked you him too; he was a really nice guy. But you've got a new father now, and a brother to come along with it. Don't you think that it was for the best that your dad had to die?"

Isabella slapped her forehead when Phineas's eyes widened angrily. She definitely said the wrong words.

"For the best?" Phineas snarled at her. "FOR THE BEST?"

"No, Phineas, I messed up on that!" pleaded Isabella. "Wait, please hear me out!"

"HEAR YOU OUT?" roared Phineas, standing up.

Isabella let out a small gasp. She had only seen Phineas angry once before, when Candace wouldn't ride a tricycle that Buford had stolen in his early days as a bully, and Phineas had to yell at her to get on the tricycle. It was frightening to see, and she became even more frightened at having to face an enraged Phineas head-on. She stared into Phineas's red eyes and wanted to run, but the eyes seemed to glue her to the spot.

"Isabella," the boy snarled, "I _do_ like what came out of my dad's death. A new dad, and a new brother. But you wanna know what I wish? I wish that different circumstances got my dad to leave us so then Dad and Ferb can join the family. Like a divorce. Yeah, I would think that a divorce would've been for the best, NOT HIM DYING! WHY WOULD YOU SAY HIM DYING WOULD BE FOR THE BEST, HUH?"

"I'm sorry, Phineas!" Isabella wailed. "I didn't mean to say that! I too wish that a divorce would be better for you guys, I do! But what I'm trying to say is-"

"I DON'T CARE ANYMORE! JUST LEAVE!"

"But-"

"GET OUT! NOW!"

Isabella immediately ran out of the backyard and into the Flynn-Fletcher front yard, tears streaking from her eyes and through her cheeks. The wind picked up again, as if on some sort of cue, and Isabella's raven-black hair flew forward with the wind, and the ten-year-old watched as Phineas resumed his blank stare at the house under the backyard tree. Isabella's lips pursed together for the second time today as she struggled to not cry.

_"Great,"_ she thought. _"I only upset him further. Way to go, Gretchen."_

Finally, she gave in to her urge to cry. She sat down on the grass, buried her face in her palms, and began sobbing. The sound of the wind blowing blocked out the sounds of her crying, and a pair of joggers passed by without even noticing that she was crying.

After a few minutes of crying, Isabella stopped and looked at Phineas again, only to see him crying as well. Heartbroken, the girl started crying again, and unbeknownst to Phineas, the two were crying together, with no one noticing because of the wind.

Several more minutes passed when a voice finally spoke out to Isabella.

"You okay?" asked Ferb.

Isabella looked up, and saw that Ferb was towering over her, a look of concern etched on his face, his green hair blowing with the wind. He almost looked like some sort of savior for Isabella.

"Oh, hi Ferb," Isabella replied glumly.

"Was it Phineas?"

Isabella stood up and brushed her skirt of dirt and grime. "Yes."

"Don't worry about it," Ferb said. "Within a week, he'll forget what happened and we'll be back to building. He always does."

"No." Isabella put her hands on her hips and a look of determination was present on her face. "He _won't_ forget. You think he'd forget about his father's death until the next anniversary comes along? No! I met a different Phineas in that backyard, and that Phineas told me that he was never gonna forget! Sure, he'll eventually revert into the optimistic, kind inventor I know and love, but I've realized something: underneath that shining shell is a sobbing three-year-old who's still broken by the terrible news! And that shell's gonna break soon, and Phineas is gonna pour out his true feelings eventually! And who knows what'll happen! We can't let that happen, Ferb! We can't let the kids of Maple Drive be let down by their role model when he finally snaps! We've gotta do something!"

"We?" Ferb asked.

"I can't do this alone, Ferb," replied Isabella, staring angrily at Ferb. "You know what Phineas is like during this part of the year better than I do."

"What're you suggesting we do?"

"We gather every kid in Danville. They must know what's going on."

* * *

Several hours have passed when Isabella and Ferb managed to gather every kid of Danville at the Fireside Girls' clubhouse. Among those who joined were Baljeet Rai, Buford Van Stomm, Isabella's Fireside Girls comrades, Irving, and Django Brown. Ferb also brought Perry. It was a really large gathering, with the Fireside Girls having to borrow extra chairs from their lodge for several of the attendants. Apparently, the kids were attracted by the fact that Phineas Flynn, the optimistic inventor, was having a severe case of the blues.

Once the last of the attendants were seated, Isabella and Ferb both approached the microphone that was stationed in front of the audience. Isabella took a hold of it and spoke into it.

"Ahem, testing, testing," said Isabella.

"What is this, a lame music video or something?" Buford asked, annoyed.

"Cut it, Buford," Isabella replied. "Everyone, I think you all know why you're here."

"Ooh, ooh!" Baljeet began waving his hand wildly. "Can I answer that?"

"That wasn't a question, Baljeet," replied Isabella coldly, to which Baljeet put down his hand. She then announced, "Everyone, seven years ago today, Phineas Flynn, the bright, extraordinary inventor at 2308 Maple Drive, lost his real father to a bombing. That hurt Phineas, and this pain was increased by the fact that his father was the only one who died."

"Oh, no!" exclaimed Irving.

"Shut it, Irving!" Irving didn't speak again. "Anyway, every anniversary of his father's death, Phineas is no longer the optimistic inventor we know and love. He's an entirely different person who's capable of exploding at any moment. We need to find a way to cheer Phineas up before he practically destroys himself! Any suggestions?

Most of the audience raised their hands. Isabella picked a girl sitting in the fourth row.

"I say we invent something for him!" she explained. "Something original, something to show that we care for him, and that we sympathize with him!"

"Good idea!" replied Isabella. "What do you have in mind?"

"We carve a message on Kermillian's Comet, saying that we care for him!"

"That's good, except that Kermillian's Comet is way too far in space for us to find it, and that we're gonna have to be elderly when it comes back."

"Oh."

"Although I do like the inventing part. Any ideas on what to invent?"

Ferb picked Baljeet. "How 'bout we make a funhouse?"

"We already did that with our own house," Ferb replied. "Next."

Isabella picked a boy at the sixth row. "How 'bout we make a super-slide?"

"They already did that to save Candace. Next."

Ferb picked on a boy at the third row. "How about a device that reverses gravity?"

"Done that. Next."

Whoever Ferb and Isabella picked on, it turned out that Phineas and Ferb have already done it. Buford suggested a super-treehouse, but it was already built when the Flynn-Fletcher family was stranded on an island. A girl suggested a water slide encircling Danville's tallest skyscraper, but it was already done in London with the Big Ben. Ginger suggested a transporter, but it was already done when Ferb left his skateboard in England. Irving suggested creating a superhero suit for Phineas, but Ferb and Isabella didn't really see a superhero suit cheering up Phineas, and besides, it was already done with the Beak suit. Eventually, everyone had already suggested an invention that was already done, and Isabella and Ferb were ready to give up on getting an idea for an original invention. However, they still had one more person to ask.

"Should we ask Django on what we should build?" asked Ferb.

"No," Isabella replied. "He's probably gonna say we should build a rollercoaster even though seven other people suggested it earlier. You know, I've realized that you two have practically done everything!"

"I know one thing Phineas and Ferb haven't done."

Isabella and Ferb looked at Django. He was standing up, the biggest smile etched on his face.

"And what is that, Django?" Ferb asked.

"Recreate every invention the two have done all summer! We can be original and unoriginal at the same time, by reusing every blueprint, rebuilding every contraption! Phineas is sure to love that!"

The rest of the audience looked at each other and nodded in agreement. Isabella and Ferb looked at one another.

"What d'you think?" asked Ferb.

"It's perfect," replied Isabella. She then announced to the audience, "Everyone who agrees with Django say 'aye'!"

"AYE!" the entire audience shouted out in reply.

"Then it's settled!" Isabella turned to Ferb and raised a fist into the air. "Ferb, I know what we're gonna do today! We're gonna cheer Phineas up by recreating every invention you two have made all summer long!"

Everyone cheered, and Ferb took out a harmonica and blew a triumphant note. The cheer was so tremendous that it was loud enough to cover the entire area. Once the cheering ceased, Isabella finally noticed something that didn't occur to her earlier.

"Hey, where's Perry?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that I'm looking at the first two chapters, sometimes I wonder if I should merge them both into a larger chapter. After all, they're shorter compared to most of the other chapters, and they both pretty much serve as the initial setup for this fic.
> 
> Man, I remember liking Django Brown as a character, even during the first days of this fic. As much as I like Baljeet and Buford, I sometimes thought it was pretty stupid how they were able to get as much of a spotlight on them as the rest of the main cast while Django and the other neighborhood kids were shafted to the background. Django actually got it a little worse, for I remember him only having one, I repeat, ONE episode dedicated to him. In others, he was a simple background character. So yeah, that was why I decided to give Django a bigger role in this fic, as you'll see in later chapters.
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this re-released chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	4. Agent P's New Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Perry is assigned to fight Doofenshmirtz and L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.F.I.N. again by Major Monogram. It's just another average fight, nothing more... or is it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn, I remember loving writing out this chapter! The gag of Rodney's real name, Norm's mannerisms, the whole debacle of Doofenshmirtz trying to prove his evilness to his colleagues... Lemme tell you, it's one thing to see all of those running gags on the show and laughing at them, but it's truly another thing to write out those same things on my own! I loved the humor so much, and it had such an impact on my memory, so I guess that's why everything and everyone was so in-character.
> 
> Plus, it was fun deconstructing the formula of the Perry-Doofenshmirtz subplot for the first time. That, on its own, took a whole new level of meta-humor to pull off.
> 
> Alright, I'm done reminiscing! ENJOY!

Little did anyone know that Perry had made his way towards the Fireside Girls clubhouse. As he did, he watched the meeting progress, and he smiled at Isabella and Ferb's efforts to cheer Phineas up. He, too, hated to see his owner so down, and he appreciated the two for finding ways to help Phineas move on from the tragedy. And he wished he could help; when Django suggested that they recreate every invention Phineas and Ferb have done all summer long, Perry immediately wanted to stand up and give them his locket, the only means of doing so within minutes, but he remembered that he had a secret life to maintain. And speaking of which, his wristwatch had started beeping a few minutes ago, explaining his absence at the end of the meeting.

Approaching the wooden wall of the clubhouse, Perry stood on his two hind legs and pressed a hidden red button, and a small hatch opened in the wall. Jumping inside it, the platypus couldn't help but feel that a pair of eyes was watching him as he did so. Dismissing the feeling, Perry landed smoothly on a flat platform that began descending down a glass tube.

After a few minutes of waiting, Perry felt the platform stop and another hatch opened in the glass tube. Stepping through it, Perry found himself in his headquarters underneath the Flynn-Fletcher house. Seating himself in his red chair, the secret agent watched as the colossal face of his superior, Major Monogram, filled the large screen in front of him.

"Good morning, Agent P," Monogram said in his stern voice. "As you know, yesterday you and several other O.W.C.A. agents saved the Tri-State Area from the clutches of L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. Now, our spies have seen all ten L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. members doing something in the DEI building, never leaving at all. Whatever they're doing inside, they appear to be constructing something, and we fear that the organization is planning a revenge scheme. So, we are sending you to lead a squad of O.W.C.A. agents into DEI and investigate the matter. The rest of the squad should be waiting for you at DEI. Good luck, Agent P."

Perry, as usual, saluted his boss, confirming that he was ready to serve.

* * *

_ **Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated!** _

Perry rolled his eyes at the sound of the DEI evil jingle as he dropped in from his rocket car. Landing smoothly on the concrete sidewalk, out of sight from pedestrians, Perry looked into the alleyway and saw his squad: Pinky the Chihuahua, Kenneth the Kitty, Herman the Hedgehog, and Terry the Turtle.

_"Perry!"_ barked Pinky. _"Over here!"_

Perry strode towards his squad, and greeted all four agents with the secret O.W.C.A. agent handshake.

_"So,"_ Perry chattered, _"ready to kick some bad-guy butt?"_

_"YEAH!"_ the other four agents growled out in response.

The five agents then procured their grappling-hook launchers and fired them towards the DEI balcony. Pressing a button on the launchers, the five agents were pulled up into the penthouse. Upon reaching it, the five agents entered the room, where they saw nothing but darkness.

_"Hey!"_ hissed Kenneth. _"Where'd L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. go?"_

Suddenly, five sets of robotic arms thrust themselves out of the darkness and each set grabbed an agent and pulled at their limbs, limiting movement. Perry chattered angrily, realizing that they had fallen into another of Doofenshmirtz's pathetic traps.

"SURPRISE!" Indeed, Doofenshmirtz and his nine cronies stepped out of the darkness, all wearing their best megalomaniacal expressions.

"So," announced Doofenshmirtz to the agents, "do you like my traps for you, agents? I thought that after I made that epic mess-up with that accursed snail agent I should make a trap that's suitable for all agents of all sizes, and the trap that best fits the bill would be robotic arms!"

"Okay, Doofenshmirtz," Rodney said, "enough of all these explanations. It's time that we enact our scheme!"

"Don't boss me around, Rodney, that's my job!" berated Doofenshmirtz.

"For the last time, Doofenshmirtz," exclaimed Rodney angrily, "I prefer not to be called 'Rodney'! I'd rather be called by my full name: Aloyse Everheart Elizabeth Otto Wolfgang Hypatia Gunther Galen Gary Cooper von Roddenstein!"

"Whatever. I _will_ get on to the scheme, but first, I have to explain what it is to the agents!"

The other scientists groaned in disbelief. Kenneth turned to Perry and hissed, _"Does this happen every day?"_

_"Yeah,"_ chattered Perry in response. _"If you were me, you'll have gotten used to it already."_

"Oh please, Doofenshmirtz," said a bug-eyed scientist. "That's just gonna waste time!"

"Look who's talking, Croachaye," replied Doofenshmirtz, "surely you do that to _your_ arch-nemesis!"

"No, I don't," the scientist called Croachaye replied.

"Huh? You don't?"

"Nope. Neither do the rest."

"Really?"

The nine scientists all nodded. Doofenshmirtz's eyes widened in surprise. He never expected his fellow L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. members to follow a different pattern in fighting their arch-nemeses. "Well," he said, "what _do_ you do after you trap your arch-nemesis?"

"Simple," replied Helmetair. "We just enact our scheme already."

"Already?"

"Already," replied Diminuitive.

"And you guys get thwarted still?"

"Those agents always seem to have the best of luck," Rodney said.

"Don't worry about that, those robotic arms are proofed of every possible method of escape. I had Tancien check it, isn't that right, Tancien?"

"Yep," replied an elderly scientist, coughing. "All proofed out!"

"Alright then. Start up the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator, Sharpeard!"

"Yes, sir," replied a scientist with light-brown hair at the temples and a beard that ended with a rather sharp-looking goatee as he turned on the lights, illuminating the device that Monogram said they were working on.

Perry's eyes widened, for he remembered that Inator well. Doofenshmirtz once constructed it weeks ago in order to turn him into an evil ally, but instead, a gelatin monster was apparently created from it instead of Perry being turned evil. However, Perry managed to defeat the gelatin monster and short out the Inator, and all was well. But now that the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator has been reconstructed, Perry didn't know what Doofenshmirtz and L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. have planned out.

"Soon," Rodney said evilly, "soon I will become _truly_ evil, and soon, I will lead L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. in a glorious conquest of the Tri-State Area! Yes!"

_"At least I know the scheme now,"_ thought Perry.

"Hey, wait a minute!" exclaimed Doofenshmirtz. "_I'm_ the one who's supposed to be hit by the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator, not you, Rodney!"

"No, since we fired you as our leader, it shall be I who will assume the position and lead L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. And by the way, for the last time, do not call me Rodney! Call me Aloyse Everheart Eliza-"

"Shut it, Rodney! It will be _I_ who will become truly evil, not you!"

Rodney smiled. "Oh, yeah? WATCH!" The big-headed evil scientist turned to the scientist named Sharpeard, who had taken control of the Inator. "Sharpeard! Hit me with the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator!"

"No, Sharpeard!" Doofenshmirtz cried. "Hit me, your leader!"

Sharpeard's eyes flew back and forth between Doofenshmirtz and Rodney. "I thought we fired you as leader, Doofenshmirtz."

"JUST HIT ME!" yelled Doofenshmirtz.

"NO, HIT ME, SHARPEARD!" Rodney cried. "AND I'LL GIVE YOU A WELL-DESERVED REWARD!"

Meanwhile, the seven other evil scientists have fallen asleep out of boredom, while the five O.W.C.A. agents watched on with disinterest. Perry randomly took a glance at the robotic arm taking a hold of his right arm, and saw that it was tearing. With a mighty pull, Perry broke his arm free of the trap, catching the other agents' attentions. Perry then yanked himself free of his trap with ease, and the four others followed suit; the robotic arms were undoubtedly wearing off. Fortunately for them, no one was noticing as the squad of agents silently sneaked over to the Inator.

"HIT ME, SHARPEARD!" Doofenshmirtz roared.

"NO, HIT ME, SHARPEARD!" screeched Rodney.

"NO, HIT ME, NOT HIM! HE'S A COWARD!"

"HE'S THE BIGGER COWARD! HIT ME!"

"I'M NO COWARD, RODNEY!"

"DO NOT CALL ME RODNEY, FOR THE LAST TIME! CALL ME ALOYSE-"

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR FULL NAME, RODNEY! HIT ME, SHARPEARD! THAT'S AN ORDER!"

"I say we play a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors to settle the matter!" interjected Norm, who had just arrived in the room, holding a tray of food and drinks.

"GET LOST, NORM!" shrieked Doofenshmirtz.

"Right away, sir!" And with that, Norm optimistically left. Still, no one had noticed the agents reaching for the self-destruct button implanted on the Inator.

"Guys," Sharpeard said, bored, "argue all you want, but I quit on making the choice on who to hit. Pick someone else to do the job."

Walking away from the Inator, the evil scientist suddenly noticed the escaped agents.

"THEY'VE ESCAPED!" yelled Sharpeard, stopping the agents in their tracks.

"WHAT?" Doofenshmirtz and Rodney exclaimed simultaneously, while the seven other scientists came to full attention and stood up.

"How'd they escape?" asked Bloodpudding.

"I don't know," replied Doofenshmirtz. "I asked Tancien to check on the robotic arms-"

Doofenshmirtz suddenly remembered Tancien's slight senility and slapped his forehead. "AW, POOH!"

"Well, good going, Doofenshmirtz," Rodney chided. "You entrust the job of checking the quality of those robotic arms to the eldest member of L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N.!"

"Remember, Rodney, none of you didn't point that out to me."

Rodney opened his mouth to say something, but he realized that Doofenshmirtz was right and slapped his large forehead as well. "AW, SHOOT!"

Perry knew that this was his chance to end the mission. Charging for the self-destruct button, he was about to reach it when he stopped and stared into the Inator's barrel. Helmetair had managed to take control of the device.

"You know," the female villain said, "maybe we should zap these agents first before they thwart us. That way, once we take over the Tri-State Area, we will have the might of several O.W.C.A. agents standing behind us! It's all foolproof, and no could be any wiser!"

The rest of L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. looked at each other and nodded in agreement, approving of Helmetair's plan. Rodney, on the other hand, looked at Doofenshmirtz rebelliously.

"_That_ should've been our scheme all along, Doofenshmirtz!" he said.

"Well, don't blame me!" replied Doofenshmirtz.

"Yes, we blame you," Helmetair said. "None of your schemes always seem to be good ideas. I'm surprised that we took orders from you previously."

"Previously?"

"My goodness, Doofenshmirtz," said Croachaye, "we fired you as leader, remember?"

"Oh, that's right."

As L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. continued to converse amongst one another, Perry charged for the self-destruct button again. Helmetair noticed this and, in a motion of panic, accidentally turned the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator out of the window and fired a single laser. Perry then activated the self-destruct mechanism, and he then jumped out of the same window the laser flew out of and activated his parachute. His five comrades followed suit, and every agent got out just in time, for the penthouse disappeared in a cloud of smoke and Doofenshmirtz's "CURSE YOU, PERRY THE PLATYPUS AND O.W.C.A.!"

_"Mission complete,"_ thought Perry.

* * *

Back at the DEI penthouse, the smoke began to clear, and a dirt-coated Doofenshmirtz walked towards his now demolished Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator, once again wading in the swamps of defeat. Once again, Perry foiled him; this was probably the hundred-something time he had to watch the platypus fly out of his roof while he had to suffer the destruction of his Inator and sometimes also his lair down below. The evil scientist was starting to become sick of this regular routine.

But for now, he had other problems to worry about.

"DOOFENSHMIRTZ!" roared Rodney.

Doofenshmirtz looked at his L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. members, all coated with dirt as well, faces masked with utmost fury. He knew that he had done it this time.

"This is the last time we're gonna get thwarted by a mere bunch of animals, Doofenshmirtz!" cried Diminuitive, angrily shaking his fist at Doofenshmirtz.

"Look, fellas-" began Doofenshmirtz, but he was cut off by Rodney.

"NO MORE, DOOFENSHMIRTZ! Every time we formulate a scheme to take over the Tri-State Area, those animal agents always thwart us! It's surreally ridiculous! And we can't stand it anymore!"

"You're always being thwarted by animals even if we're not grouped together, Rodney," Doofenshmirtz pointed out.

"ENOUGH WITH THIS RODNEY CRUD! CALL ME ALOYSE EVERHEART ELIZABETH OTTO WOLFGANG HYPATIA GUNTHER GALEN GARY COOPER VON RODDENSTEIN!"

"That's _exactly_ why I call you 'Rodney', Rodney. Your name is-"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" roared Sharpeard, silencing both Doofenshmirtz and Rodney. "Doofenshmirtz, he's right! Those animals are always thwarting us! And unless you can find a way to get rid of that organization once and for all, we're disbanding L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N.!"

"WHAT?" exclaimed Doofenshmirtz. "You can't do that, I founded it!"

"And we have the right to leave," replied a blue-haired scientist.

"Yeah, Dr. Blair's right!" a large scientist said. "We have the right, Doofenshmirtz!"

"Easy there, Dr. Bulkare!" Doofenshmirtz said. "I will find a way to get rid of the O.W.C.A., I promise!"

"Well," Rodney said, "we're not participating in anymore of your schemes until the O.W.C.A. is out of the way! And we're off, everyone!"

"No, no, wait! Wait, fellas, please wait! No, wait! WAIT!"

But it was useless. The nine scientists have already marched out of the door and closed it behind them. Doofenshmirtz just stood there, mouth hanging open in shock. He then slumped down beside the wreckage of the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator and sighed heavily.

"Norm," he called glumly after several minutes.

The robot marched over to Doofenshmirtz's side. "Yes, sir?"

"Activate my Rebuild-My-Lair-Inator."

"Yes, sir."

However, before Norm can leave, Doofenshmirtz called out for him again. "Wait, Norm?"

"Yes, sir?"

Doofenshmirtz sighed, for he knew that what he planned to say wasn't going to be easy, and he also doubted that Norm would be able to know the answer. But he wanted to spill out his feelings, and no one else was available in the trashed room, so he decided to go just go with it.

"Norm, am I evil?"

"What makes you ask that?" replied Norm.

"It's just that, well, I've been thinking. Every day, I think up of a brilliant scheme, and I am about to enact it when Perry the Platypus comes and thwarts me and saves the day. And after what happened minutes ago, I've found out that this isn't because luck keeps following him, but that I'm not following the classic 'evil villain formula'. Instead of enacting my scheme already, like they say, I just ramble on to Perry the Platypus about it, or make some other distraction or be oblivious to a flaw in my plans. It was as if I was _waiting_ for him to make some brilliant Houdini-style escape plan and foil me. As if I was _counting_ on him to do so! And he does it! Sure, I'm affected by my failures, but I don't improve on the next day even though I say that I need to do so! And I'm thwarted again, by some stupid thing I do! And if that doesn't break aforementioned formula, then this does: I care for my daughter very much! Villains only care for establishing dominions, not their families! But for me, whenever I look at Vanessa, no matter how old she is, my heart just melts as I see nothing more than herself as a little girl. Does that classify me as 'good'?"

Norm just stared at his master and creator for a moment before replying, "No, but that doesn't make you evil either."

"What does that make me, then?" asked Doofenshmirtz.

"Judging by what you said to me about your battles with the platypus, you're just stupid."

"HEY!"

"Sorry, sir, but that's the truth."

"And what about what I said about Vanessa? What does _that_ classify me as?"

"I'm not sure. If I were you, and I approached this pondering, then I'd just go for my gut."

"Go for my gut?" Doofenshmirtz gave his robot a skeptical look.

"Yes. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go activate your Rebuild-My-Lair-Inator."

And with that, Norm marched away, leaving Doofenshmirtz with his own thoughts.

_"Go for my gut."_

Norm's statement, as cliche as it sounded, brought wonder to Doofenshmirtz. He had heard this phrase lots of times before, ever since he first arrived in the U.S.A., and he long knew what it meant from his ex-wife Charlene, but never before did he have to find himself conform to this statement, 'going for his gut'.

Should he become good? Doofenshmirtz was leaning on that choice, seeing as he was only doing this because of his terrible childhood, where he was mentally abused by his father, shunned by his mother, and overshadowed by his younger brother Roger. And he also remembered all of the good things he had done in his life, even with Perry.

But when he thought about Perry, he remembered what Rodney said about the fact of being thwarted by animals being ridiculous. He then remembered all of the times he had to be stranded in his wrecked lair, wallowing in his defeat, while Perry flew off into the sky, triumph in his grasp, good having won the battle again. It suddenly made him angry, realizing that being thwarted by a platypus meant that he was a miserable failure. He then reminisced about a particular time his father called him a schnitzel after he couldn't perform a mere high-dive. If he couldn't perform a high-dive, then a platypus can thwart him easily, and this infuriated the evil scientist more, knowing that he couldn't defeat a mere animal.

The moment Norm strode into the room, dragging the Rebuild-My-Lair-Inator, Doofenshmirtz exclaimed to him, "NORM! I'M GONNA DO WHAT YOU ADVISED ME TO DO! I'M GONNA FOLLOW MY GUT! AND THE GUT I'M FOLLOWING SAYS IN BOLD LETTERS, 'BRING DOWN PERRY THE PLATYPUS AND THE O.W.C.A. ONCE AND FOR ALL!'"

"Good luck with that, sir," replied Norm optimistically.

"Why, thank you N-" Doofenshmirtz began, but he realized that sarcasm was laced in Norm's voice as the robot made his latest one-liner. "Hey! What d'you mean by 'Good luck with that, sir'?"

"You can't seek help from L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. anymore. They expect you to bring down the O.W.C.A. before they can rejoin you."

Doofenshmirtz smirked and crossed his arms.

"Just because I can't get help from L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. doesn't mean that I can't get help from anywhere else."

"Where d'you expect to find someone evil, sir?" Norm asked. "All the villains you were associated with beside L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. are now incarcerated, according to your data."

"Then I'm gonna have to find someone new," replied Doofenshmirtz.

"How d'you expect yourself to find a villain? They're not that plentiful, and judging from what I saw from those Saturday morning cartoons, they tend to keep themselves at a low cover."

"I know. That's why I put 'Evil' on my sign. Someone's gonna eventually see it, and realize that they're not alone. And soon, we will join forces to take over take down the O.W.C.A. and conquer the Tri-State Area!"

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere at Danville...

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Khaka Peu Peu was sitting on his chair at his apartment complex, watching his beat-up television set, when he spotted the DEI sign out his window.

_"Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated, huh?"_ he thought. _"Maybe I should check it out. If it is what I think it is, maybe I can take down those two kids that thwarted my attempt to give Danville the worst day ever, thank you very much!"_

Khaka was about to tiptoe to his closet when his wife called out to him.

"HEY, KHAKA!"

Khaka sighed. "Yes, honey?"

"ACCOMPANY ME TO THE CHAIR STORE SO I CAN GET MORE THROWING CHAIRS!"

"Sure, honey," he groaned.

Suddenly, a chair appeared and hit Khaka straight in the face.

"OW!" he cried. "What's was that for, honey? I said I'll accompany you!"

"THAT WAS JUST FOR FUN!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, Khaka Peu Peu was another gag that I just loved and had to fit into the fic somewhere. Man, seeing all of these running gags bring back memories... :')
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this re-released chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	5. A Different Phineas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the night during Phillip Flynn's birthday/anniversary of his death, and everyone notices that something's wrong with Phineas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're reading this right now, then chances are you've traveled from FanFiction.Net to see the chapter in its full, uncensored glory. For those who don't know, I'm simultaneously posting this here and on FanFiction.Net, but the latter site will now allow song lyrics to be posted as content, with no exceptions. Even if it's slightly altered here, I'm not taking any chances of catching the attention of a watchdog user over there.
> 
> Also, before we begin, it's just come to my attention that there'll be a brand-spanking-new "Phineas and Ferb" film coming out next year on Disney+. It's called "Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe" and it'll be about Phineas and Ferb rescuing Candace when she's abducted by aliens and taken to a utopian planet. Ooh, consider me psyched! Unfortunately, I don't have Disney+, so I'm hoping the movie will also have a DVD release.
> 
> P.S.: If you already saw the deleted scenes of the Phineas and Ferb movie, then you may skip the song if you want. And before you comment that Candace no longer remembers singing the song, let's just say that some compulsion from the day with the 2nd Dimension led to her singing this.
> 
> P.P.S.: I hope you all had a Merry Christmas, and I wish you all an early Happy New Year! Say goodbye to 2019 and brace yourselves for 2020!

It was now nighttime at the Flynn-Fletcher house, and an unusually quiet one. However, considering the circumstances of what happened hours prior, it was understandable. Lawrence and Linda were collaborating on washing the dishware. Candace was busy communicating with her friend Stacy Hirano via text messages, although she was wearing a stoic face instead of the overjoyed and hyperactive face she would assume whenever talking to Stacy. Ferb was looking at Phineas, who was doing the least likely thing he'd do during this part of the year: smiling.

Continuing to stare at Phineas as the boy watched TV, still smiling, Ferb found it really strange to see his stepbrother this way. He had seen Phineas during the anniversaries of his real father's death, and he would always be downcast, not uplifted. What's worse was he didn't even pet Perry or even talk to him. Speaking of Perry, Ferb also noticed that Perry would occasionally nudge Phineas, as if he was expecting a petting or a talking to, which made Ferb even more confused, as he considered the platypuses don't typically do anything other than lie around.

Suddenly, Phineas burst into laughter, which startled Ferb and Candace. The former realized that the ten-year-old boy was laughing at the TV, which was depicting a cartoon in which an anthropomorphic rabbit was tricking a hunter into blowing up his head. Fortunately, it was just a silly cartoon, nothing graphic, and yet, Ferb couldn't help but notice the slight sadistic pleasure that was laced with Phineas's laugh, or the hint of craziness that was tinted in the inventor's eyes. The British boy looked at Candace, and saw that she was wearing a quizzical face as well.

"Children!" Lawrence called out. "It's time to eat!"

Phineas stopped laughing and followed Ferb and Candace to the kitchen table, where Lawrence and Linda were already seated, dinner plates already prepared by them. The three children seated themselves, and upon doing so, Phineas immediately burst into speech.

"Mom, Dad, did you see that part of the cartoon in which the hunter blows up his head? HAHAHA, that part was hilarious! And the way his eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and hat landed onto the neck like it was reconstructing the face, boy, was that golden comedy! HAHAHAHAHA!"

All four of the Flynn-Fletchers, plus Perry, looked at Phineas quizzically.

"Well," replied Linda, "someone's happy today."

"And on the wrong day of the week," Candace added to herself; her sentence went noticed by Ferb, who couldn't help but admit that his domineering stepsister was right.

A chatter suddenly sounded throughout the kitchen table, and Phineas and Ferb looked down to see Perry, who was sitting beside his empty food bowl. His mindless-looking eyes stared up at Phineas; he was definitely begging for some food through them.

"Get lost," replied Phineas coldly. Linda gasped.

"PHINEAS!" she scolded. "Don't say that to Perry! He's our pet, and a part of our family! I think he wants you to feed him."

"Oh, sorry Mom. I'll get to that right away."

Phineas stood up and strode towards the cupboard. Ferb and Candace noticed the hint of annoyance in Phineas's eyes as he walked past them. Ferb looked at his father and saw that he was wearing a suspicious look.

Phineas returned with Perry's chow and poured it into the food bowl until it became full. Perry looked up at Phineas as if to thank him before he began to consume his food. The family did so as well, and no conversations were started. Finally, after five minutes of eating in pure silence, Candace decided to break it.

"So," said Candace, "what'd you do today, Mom and Dad?"

"I just rested myself on the couch while your dad did all of my work for me," Linda replied. "Again, thanks Lawrence."

"Anytime, dear," said Lawrence before he took a bite of his fish.

"How about you, Candace?" asked Linda.

"I went to Stacy's house. We had a little talk about..." She paused in mid-sentence before continuing. "Well, she gave me a little re-inspiration, and now, life's good."

"Good. I was glad to know that there were no calls from you about the boys building some contraption in our backyard."

Candace didn't reply to that, but her expression darkened. Fortunately, Linda and Lawrence didn't notice. Instead, Lawrence turned to Phineas and Ferb and talked to them.

"How about you, boys?" he asked. "What did you do for today?"

"I helped Isabella with a meeting," replied Ferb.

"Speaking of Isabella," Phineas said nonchalantly, "I yelled at her and I didn't apologize."

"WHAT?"

Linda stood up on the table, shocked. "You yelled at Isabella, your good friend, and you didn't _apologize_?"

Phineas looked undaunted by Linda's expression. "Yep. I didn't."

Linda's eye twitched before she scolded, "PHINEAS ALBERT FLYNN! I can't believe you would yell at your friend, your neighbor, and not APOLOGIZE! Why did you even do that?"

Phineas replied nonchalantly, "Because she said that my father deserved to die."

Linda was about to say something, but the words were lost in her mouth. She then finally said, quietly, "She did?"

"Yes, Mom. I was angry and I yelled at her. She made a run for it and I didn't see her for the rest of the day."

Linda didn't speak, and then she finally approached the phone, picked it up, and dialed a number. After a couple of minutes, the family watched as she spoke into the phone.

"Hi, Vivian? Yes. Thank you very much, Vivian. Yes, did Isabella come home sad, or frightened, or anything? Really? Oh, well, it turns out that Phineas yelled at her. For a good reason. According to Phineas, she said that Phillip deserved to die and he got angry with her and yelled at her. It's okay, don't apologize. You will? Okay, thank you very much. Thank you. Bye."

Linda hung the phone and turned to the family. "I talked to Vivian, and now she's gonna have a little talk with Isabella about what she said to you, Phineas."

"Good," replied Phineas.

Ferb couldn't help but heighten his suspicion. When Phineas answered Linda's question as to why he yelled at Isabella, he didn't sound angry, or exasperated, or stressed, emotions that he would feel if he admitted that someone spoke badly of someone he loved, such as his real father. Instead, he was nonchalant, as if he didn't care that someone spoke badly of Phillip.

And when Phineas replied to Linda's announcement that Isabella would be getting into trouble, he sounded _pleased_. Whenever he found out that Isabella was getting into some serious trouble for something that he caused, Phineas would come to his friend's defense, saying that she didn't deserve to get into a lot of trouble, or at least express some hope that she wouldn't be punished severely. He would never be pleased at Isabella's impending troubles.

In fact, what Phineas said to Linda about Isabella insulting Phillip was half-true. The other half of the truth was that Isabella made a mistake in saying those words, and that she was meaning to comfort Phineas and tell him to move on from the tragedy. And Ferb would know because he watched the entire conversation with his own eyes. The Phineas he knew would've told the whole truth. And yet, he didn't. Surprisingly, he wasn't even scratching his ear, something he would compulsively do when he lied to someone.

First, the oddly optimistic smile, then the laughing at the cartoon, then neglecting Perry for a minute, then framing Isabella? Something was definitely out of place. This was not the Phineas Flynn he was dealing with here. Glancing at Candace, Ferb realized that she was most likely thinking the same thoughts as well.

Unfortunately, Linda didn't see any changes in her son and merely resumed eating, as did Lawrence and Phineas. Ferb and Candace decided to do so as well, but they continued to stare at Phineas for the rest of dinner.

* * *

A half-hour has passed, and a thunderstorm had since started. Lawrence and Linda were now busy washing the dinner plates again. Phineas had retreated into his bedroom, and Ferb was planning on approaching him when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, it was a suspicious Candace.

"Alright," the redheaded teenager said, "what did you guys do today?"

"What d'you mean?" asked Ferb.

"Clearly Phineas is acting strange. He would never laugh at misfortunes or reject Perry. I'm betting that you two built something bust-worthy together while I was away at Stacy's house. What did you build?"

"We didn't build anything."

"And how should I believe you?"

"Phineas wouldn't commit to any of his usual daily activities during the anniversary of your dad's death. If we were to build something, then that would happen the next week."

"Then maybe _you_ built something alone to cheer Phineas up, and you hit Phineas with that device, but it didn't work out as planned. And then the Mysterious Force takes away the contraption, explaining why Phineas continues to act this way."

"If I were to build something alone, I'd seek the help of Phineas's blueprints, because I can't do anything without them. And Phineas didn't make any blueprints. Like I said, he won't commit to any of the daily activities he does with me." Ferb suddenly turned skeptical. "Wait a minute, _Mysterious Force_?"

"That's what I call the cause behind the circumstances that take away all of your inventions."

Ferb raised an eyebrow. "Sounds kinda preposterous to me."

Candace sighed, and then began to sing to explain the Mysterious Force to Ferb.

_Let me explain, though it might seem strange to you  
_ _So please refrain from thinking bad of me  
_ _It gives me pain to see what you two guys do  
_ _But no one else ever can see_

_I just want the truth known, so I call Mom on the phone  
_ _But by the time she gets here, the whole thing disappears  
_ _Whatever you build every day, it gets taken away  
_ _No one sees it, of course, it's some mysterious force_

_To Mom every story is so preposterous  
_ _Never believes no matter what I do  
_ _But though I'm right and she's wrong, I must confess  
_ _I'd probably think I'm crazy, too_

_I just want the truth known, so I call Mom on the phone  
_ _But by the time she gets here, the whole thing disappears  
_ _Whatever you build every day, it gets taken away  
_ _By some mysterious force, no one sees it, of course_

_Some mysterious force  
_ _Some mysterious force  
_ _Some mysterious force  
_ _Some mysterious force_

Candace stopped singing and looked at Ferb, waiting for a response.

Finally, Ferb said, "Yep, I'm not buying it."

"Whatever," replied Candace. "What I'm saying is that you definitely did something to my brother; maybe you just don't know it."

"I remember what happens every day, and I definitely do anything to cheer Phineas up. Then again, I accompanied Isabella as she hosted a meeting to find a way to cheer him up, but we never did anything. We're gonna enact that plan tomorrow."

Suddenly, Candace's eyes widened, and she pointed at him accusingly. "Ooh, you're gonna do something tomorrow! Something bust-worthy! I'm calling Mom! That way you are busted before you build anything and the Mysterious Force doesn't have to take anything away!"

Candace was about to run off when Ferb grabbed her shirt and stopped her.

"Candace, please," beseeched Ferb, "we're doing this for Phineas! D'you really want to bust us when all we're doing is cheering him up?"

"You're gonna do something dangerous, Ferb!" Candace replied, annoyed. "Now let go of me!"

"Phineas isn't gonna move on from the tragedy! He'll eventually snap, and who knows what'll happen! Whatever happens, he'll undoubtedly destroy himself in the end, physically, emotionally, or psychologically! Maybe all of them! Maybe he's already snapped, explaining his behavior! Do you want that to happen to Phineas?"

Candace looked at her younger stepbrother and pondered over what he said. She suddenly remembered the day she first saw Phineas as a baby...

_Ten years ago..._

_A five-year-old Candace sat on the couch, clutching her Ducky Momo doll, nervous about the arrival of her newborn brother. Her maternal grandparents, Clyde and Betty Jo Flynn, were in the other room, talking to one another. The television was blaring, but Candace wasn't paying any attention to it._

_She didn't know what would happen once her brother officially became a member of the family. Judging by what Stacy said about younger siblings, they will immediately become the only focus of attention for the following years, while the older siblings would have to be left without any love. Candace knew that Stacy was right, because she knew that Stacy was facing such a problem right now, with her newborn sister Ginger. She didn't want to be shunned by her parents, or by anyone else in her family, for years before the baby finally grows up._

_Candace tried to think up of a solution, but they all led to dead ends. She first thought of running away in order to get her parents to notice her, but she couldn't see herself even wandering five feet away from the house without her parents. Then she thought of mailing her brother away in the middle of the night and making it look like the baby managed to get out of the crib, but she remembered the crib and that she was too tall to retrieve the baby. Every solution she came up with, there was always a flaw in it that Candace didn't want to take on head-on. She knew she had to ask Stacy about what she was gonna do._

_Looking at her Ducky Momo doll, Candace said, "Oh, Ducky Momo, what do you think I should do. My little brother is gonna take away all of the attention from my Mommy and Daddy, and I don't know what to do about it."_

_She then hugged the doll, hoping that it would come alive and take her someplace perfect for her and have her parents forget that she existed, that is, until the baby grew up._

_Finally, she heard the front door open and Clyde and Betty Jo greet her parents. Candace knew that it was time to meet her brother, and she walked towards the front door, still clutching her doll. There, she saw her father, her mother, and her grandparents cooing over what appeared to be a bundle of sheets. Suddenly, a tiny, young sound reverberated throughout the room, and Candace knew that the baby had arrived._

_Phillip spotted Candace and greeted, "Candy, your little brother is here. Come meet him."_

_"Okay, Daddy," replied Candace grumpily. Linda, who was holding the baby, knelt down and presented the baby to Candace._

_At first, Candace looked away, but then she managed to swallow her pride and look at the baby. At that moment, the world seemed to stop, and everyone seemed to disappear except for the baby. Candace stared at the baby's blue eyes and his triangular head, the latter of which was holding a cute, innocent smile that seemed to brighten the atmosphere. Candace dropped her Ducky Momo doll, and for once, she didn't bother to pick it up; she was just fascinated with the baby._

_At that moment, Candace knew something special formed between her and the baby._

_Linda's voice pulled the five-year-old back into reality. "So, Candy, do you want to hold the baby?"_

_"Sure, Mommy!" replied Candace happily._

_"Don't drop him."_

_"I won't."_

_Taking the baby in her arms, she now got a closer view of the baby's face, the lovely smile, and Candace smiled back. The baby laughed, and it sounded like music to the girl's ears._

_"What's his name, Mommy?" Candace asked._

_Linda smiled at Phillip before replying, "Phineas. Phineas Flynn."_

_"Phineas?" Candace laughed. "That's a funny name, Mommy."_

_"Don't worry," said Phillip. "You'll get used to it eventually."_

_Candace stopped laughing and stared into the baby's eyes and its smile, and she continued to smile as well._

_Phineas. Candace knew that the name had a nice ring to it._

Candace ended her memory and looked at Ferb, who was looking at her with shiny eyes. The teenager noted that the eyes resembled like Phineas's when she first met him, and she realized that if Phineas indeed did snap and something would happen to him resultantly, then she would feel bad for not doing anything to make him happy, to help him move on from their father's death. Candace sighed heavily, knowing that this would be out of character for her, but she knew that it would be for the best for Phineas.

"Fine," she replied, "you may do whatever you want, but as long as it's just to cheer Phineas up. And once you succeed, then I'll have to bust you guys." She held her hand out to Ferb. "Deal?"

Ferb thought about it for a moment, then held out his own hand and shook Candace's.

"Deal."

* * *

Meanwhile, at Phineas and Ferb's bedroom, Phineas paced around, thinking. By now, that girl named Isabella was probably in her bedroom, crying her little lungs out. The boy smiled evilly at the image and congratulated himself for bringing about the girl's punishment.

Phineas stopped at the doorway and saw Ferb and Candace talking to one another. He was unable to hear what they were saying due to the thunderstorm. However, he didn't care, for all he was concerned about was deciding on what to do tomorrow. He knew where to go tomorrow, but what he was gonna do afterwards, he didn't know. He promised that he'd formulate a scheme, but the truth was, he had yet to make one. An all-out, head-on assault would be best, but he knew that there would be retaliation. He wished he can get some more help, but apparently, he was the only one to arrive at the meeting, and there seemed to be no other evil villain present in Danville.

Angry at his inability to think, Phineas decided that he'd just go for the full-frontal assault. Procuring his cell phone, the ten-year-old dialed a number and then held the device to his ear, waiting for the receiver to pick up.

Finally, a voice said sleepily, "H-hello?"

"It's me, Phineas," replied Phineas. "I've thought of the perfect method."

"And what's that?" asked the voice.

"We use your inventions and lead an all-out assault."

"An all-out assault?"

Phineas was annoyed at the man's stupidity. "Yes, an all-out assault. You do know what that means, do you?"

"I _do_ know what an all-out assault is. It's just that, well, there's, uh, gonna be, you know, retaliation."

"Yes, that's why I said we use your inventions."

It was quiet for a moment. Finally, the speaker said, "Oh, fine. We'll do it tomorrow."

"Good," said Phineas before hanging up.

The boy then stood up and walked into the bathroom. Turning on the light, he stared at his reflection in the mirror, and then he snickered quietly. He couldn't believe that even though the Flynn-Fletcher family noticed his change in behavior, they didn't notice a change in his physicality, and this change was thrust in their faces, and yet they didn't react. He now knew where his good self's obliviousness came from.

For Phineas's eyes, once the brilliant blue Candace became mesmerized with as a five-year-old, were now an eerie shade of green.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's the end of that. I honestly don't know why I had the rest of the Flynn-Fletcher family not notice Phineas's green eyes and realize there was something wrong. I'm not sure if I eventually came up with a rational explanation for that, but now that I'm reevaluating my old work, I admit that I did something pretty strange right there.
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this re-released chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	6. How It Happened

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before we can get down to business, we will learn about the events that led up to Phineas being hit by the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, everyone! The moment you've all been waiting for! (Hopefully all of my old readers know what the heck I'm talking about.)

Phineas screamed with delight as he rode down Maple Drive in his mother's car, which was modified again into #42. However, there were several new additions to the car besides the ones Phineas used when he entered the car in the Swamp Oil 500: a rocket booster mounted at the rear, small wings protruding from the sides, a satellite mounted on the roof, and a new grille. Also, the car was boasting an all-new color scheme, with the yellow replaced with red, the red replaced with an off-white with orange stripes, and a triangle in the shape of Phineas's head stamped on the roof.

Pressing a button, Phineas gasped in awe as the wings extended further, the wheels folded into the car's underside, and a second rocket booster appeared underneath so the car can be levitated, and soon, the car was in its secondary "flight mode". Phineas looked down below and saw all of Danville. It was a majestic sight, and the ten-year-old smiled with content at what he was seeing.

Suddenly, he looked forward and saw that he was heading towards a helicopter. Swerving away at the last minute, he laughed heartily before flying down back towards Maple Drive. Settling down on the driveway of 2308 Maple Drive, Phineas deactivated the car's flight mode and stepped out of the car, greeting his family.

Linda hugged her son, congratulated him for driving safely, and told him that he'd make a great driver. Lawrence stated to Phineas that he was proud of his stepson and that he should keep up the good work. Candace asked the ten-year-old if she could borrow the car for a moment. And Ferb, still silent as ever, gave Phineas the thumbs-up.

However, there was one person that Phineas was most keen on greeting, and it was Phillip. He was standing right beside Linda, a smile of pride and happiness on his face. He looked just like Phineas, although his hair was brown and tidier. He was wearing a mechanic's clothing that was currently stained with oil and grime.

Phineas smiled at his biological father. "Thanks, Dad," he said, "for building this for me."

"No problem, kiddo," replied Phillip. "I had to do a lot of persuading to your mom though." Phillip then looked at Linda, who smiled back at him.

"I just wish you didn't divorce Mom though," Phineas said sadly. "It's so tough not seeing you in the house for all of the day."

Phillip's happy face turned into that of pity, and he knelt down at his son and put his hands on his shoulders. "Son, I know I'm no longer the head of the house anymore, but it's for the best. After all, you have a new dad, and a brother to come along with it."

The two looked at Lawrence and Ferb, who smiled back at them. Phineas turned back at Phillip. "I know," he said. "I like my new dad, and I absolutely love Ferb. But no matter what, I still miss you, Dad."

The both of them embraced each other in a loving hug.

"I miss you too, Inventor Extraordinaire," replied Phillip.

Phineas wanted this hug to last forever. He knew that this reality isn't actually real, but he wanted to savor the moment all the same.

Suddenly, he felt his father dissolve, and he opened his eyes and saw that Phillip was, indeed, dissolving into smoke, as if a strong gust of wind was blowing on a sand sculpture. Ferb, Candace, Linda, and Lawrence were disappearing to, as was all of Danville. Maple Drive, the sky, the modified car, the house, everything. Phineas knew that his evil self was calling to him again.

Closing his eyes, Phineas felt everything swirl around him in a vortex of color and sound. Finally, when everything ceased, the boy opened them and saw that he was back in the cage, surrounded by nothing other than a purple mist. The ground was cold and uneven. In front of him, several feet away, was what his evil self was seeing right now: his own life. It was being projected onto the mist, as if it was coming from a film projector. Phineas watched on the projection as Ferb fell to sleep without hearing a 'Good night, Ferb' from him. Finally, after a few minutes, the projection began to fade: the Phineas living his life had let his body fall asleep.

A minute later, a figure stepped through the mist. It was the evil Phineas, his physicality identical to Phineas in every way. The only difference was their eyes: the evil Phineas's were colored green that looked rather sickly. Also, the evil Phineas was being engulfed in a strange, purple, wispy substance that could either be fire or mist.

The evil Phineas knelt forward towards the cage and smiled at Phineas. "So," he said, "how was it?"

"Let go of me, Shadow," replied Phineas angrily, referring the evil Phineas by the name he suggested he call him to avoid the awkwardness of Phineas calling his evil self his own name. Never before had Phineas felt so angry and so desperate to return to his old life.

"Sure." The Shadow snapped his fingers, and the cage was lifted into the unknown.

Phineas seized the chance to push the Shadow to the ground and make a run into the mist. He kept on running and running and running, never bothering to stop, never bothering to look behind him to see if the Shadow was following close behind. All he wanted to do was to keep running until the mist cleared.

Finally, after a few minutes, the mist began to clear. Phineas gasped in relief and ran faster. When the mist completely cleared, Phineas stopped and looked into green eyes.

"You can't escape, Phineas," said the Shadow. "Remember, since you're not in control of your brain, any attempt of escape is futile. Since _I_ am in control, I can enter and exit your brain and come back into your body. Just surrender while you still can."

"Never," replied Phineas. "Someone I know once said 'If you focus, you can accomplish anything'."

The Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Nice quote you've got there, boy. And I'm guessing that the one who said that in the first place is named Stacy Hirano?"

Phineas didn't reply, but his evil self was right. The Shadow smiled maliciously again.

"I thought so."

The Shadow suddenly lunged forward and kicked Phineas in the stomach, and the boy cried out as the overwhelming pain surged through his body. Never before had he felt so much of it before. The Shadow cackled sadistically, and Phineas rolled over and looked up as his devious doppelganger, clutching his stomach, still feeling the pain.

"How?" moaned Phineas. "How'd this happen?"

"How?" the Shadow replied. Once again, he smiled. "I'll show you."

Suddenly, everything began swirling around the two of them in another colored vortex of sound. Finally, it all resettled back into Danville, at 2308 Maple Drive. Phineas looked at the lawn and saw Isabella sobbing, her hair blowing with a gust of wind. The ten-year-old immediately knew why, and he walked forward towards her.

"Isabella!" he called out, but the girl didn't respond.

"She can't hear you, boy," replied the Shadow, appearing by Phineas's side. "This is just the replaying of a memory, where everyone depicted in said memory goes on with today's events without being interfered by you. Even you can't touch them to get them to notice you, for all you will do is just pass through them. We're the only things here that is an illusion."

_"Since when was I so smart?"_ Phineas asked in his mind.

Suddenly, pain surged through his face when a fist collided with his left cheek. The Shadow had punched him.

"I can hear you while you're thinking, ya know," he said. "I _am_ in control of this brain, after all."

Phineas rubbed his cheek, a tear sliding from his eye as he continued to watch Isabella. Then, he saw Ferb come out of the house in response to the girl's sobbing and approach her. He noted how much he looked like Isabella's savior when she looked up at him, with the wind still blowing.

"You okay?" asked Ferb.

"Oh, hi Ferb," replied Isabella glumly.

"Was it Phineas?"

Phineas's lower lip trembled with pity and realization as he watched Isabella stand up and dust her skirt of dirt and grime.

"Yes," she replied.

"Don't worry about it. Within a week, he'll forget what happened and we'll be back to building. He always does."

"No."

Phineas's eyes widened at the sudden change in Isabella's voice, and even the Shadow expressed some shock from the unexpected occurrence.

"He _won't_ forget. You think he'd forget about his father's death until the next anniversary comes along? No! I met a different Phineas in that backyard, and that Phineas told me that he was never gonna forget! Sure, he'll eventually revert into the optimistic, kind inventor I know and love, but I've realized something: underneath that shining shell is a sobbing three-year-old who's still broken by the terrible news! And that shell's gonna break soon, and Phineas is gonna pour out his true feelings eventually! And who knows what'll happen! We can't let that happen, Ferb! We can't let the kids of Maple Drive be let down by their role model when he finally snaps! We've gotta do something!"

Phineas smiled at the penultimate sentence in Isabella's monologue. He never knew he represented a role model to the kids of his home street. All he was trying to do was make every day of everyone's summer count, and that was all he was ever hoping to accomplish. It both pleased and saddened him to hear that; he was pleased because he knew he was a role model, but it also saddened him to know that the Shadow was gonna break that mold soon.

"Follow me, boy."

The Shadow was walking into the Flynn-Fletcher backyard.

"No!" replied Phineas defiantly, only to have his shirt collar get grabbed.

"_Follow me_," snarled the Shadow as he led Phineas into the backyard.

The two boys watched as the past Phineas stopped sobbing and looked at the door Isabella went through. Phineas knew what his past self was thinking. He knew that he was regretting the moment he yelled at Isabella, he knew she didn't mean the things she said. He knew that he wanted to do everything he can to make it up to Isabella.

Past Phineas stood up and ran out of the backyard, in pursuit of the now-gone Isabella, with Phineas and the Shadow on his heels.

"ISABELLA!" Past Phineas called. "ISABELLA, WHERE ARE YOU?"

Phineas wanted to cry, seeing his past self wallowing in so much pain and pity, but he didn't want to get distracted. He continued to follow him along with the Shadow, all over the places commonly associated with both Phineas and Isabella. Phineas and the Shadow watched and followed as Past Phineas arrived at every of the Fireside Girls' houses, and finally, the father of Adyson Sweetwater told them (or Past Phineas, specifically) that they were away on a meeting. So, they went to the Fireside Girls lodge, only to find no one there, and strangely, there was also a lack of chairs.

Past Phineas walked out of the lodge, Phineas and the Shadow following him, when Phineas realized what was coming next. Before he knew it, he watched as his past self accidentally collided with Django Brown, who was riding on his scooter. It was painful and odd to watch, seeing one's self being physically hurt, and Phineas flinched at the scene. However, the Shadow laughed cruelly at the misfortunes of both Past Phineas and Django.

"Oh, gosh!" exclaimed Django, walking over to Past Phineas. "Phineas, you all right?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," replied Past Phineas, rubbing his stomach. Phineas suddenly found himself rubbing his own stomach, which was still aching from being kicked by his doppelganger, and found, with a slight sense of humor, that this part of his body was apparently not having a good day.

"Hey, uh, Django?" Past Phineas said. "Have you seen Isabella?"

All three Phineases noticed that Django seemed to get fidgety. "She's, uh, um, she's uh..." Django stammered. "Uh, um, I don't know, uh... um..."

"What an idiot," noted the Shadow.

"Uh, at the park!" Django finally replied. "That's right, I saw her at the park! Sorry I couldn't remember any sooner, I've been through a lot of Danville today!"

Phineas and the Shadow couldn't help but notice that something didn't seem right about Django's answer, but Past Phineas fell for it.

"The park! Thanks, Django!" he replied.

"No problem," said Django nervously before riding off on his scooter.

Phineas and the Shadow ran after Past Phineas as the boy ran towards the park. Upon arriving, Past Phineas began searching immediately.

"ISABELLA!" called Past Phineas. "ISABELLA, WHERE ARE YOU? ISABELLA?"

Phineas wanted to cry again; his past self sounded so exasperated. The Shadow merely yawned and commented, "Boring."

"ISABELLA? ISABELLA, I'M SORRY!"

Suddenly, a laser appeared out of nowhere and zapped Past Phineas. Phineas gasped, for he didn't see it coming, while the Shadow just crossed his arms, pretending to feel drowsy. The laser continued to engulf Past Phineas, and Phineas was shocked that there was no one around to see what was unfolding.

Finally, the laser ceased to exist, and Past Phineas stood there, staring blankly into space. Phineas noticed that Past Phineas's eyes were now green.

Suddenly, everything began to swirl around into another vortex, and it then reverted back into the eerie, misty place that both Phineas and the Shadow came from. Phineas stood there, contemplating on what he saw, while his evil self towered over him, arms crossed as he waited for an appropriate response.

Finally, Phineas said, "So, I was... I was just... zapped?"

"Correct," replied the Shadow. "And before you ask, no, I do not know where that laser came from. And I don't _care_, because I like this body, and I'm taking charge of it."

Phineas suddenly felt the rage boil up inside him. "Not if I can help it," he said.

Phineas then charged at his doppelganger, but Evil Phineas was faster than punched him in the face. Straining to ignore the pain, Phineas managed to land a kick in the leg, and suddenly, a surge of pain shot up his leg, pain that was more ferocious than the pain he felt when he was kicked in the stomach; apparently the substance engulfing his doppelganger was physically harmful. The Shadow immediately seized his chance and grabbed a tuft of Phineas's hair and tore it out of his scalp. Phineas screamed as the pain surged all over the whole of his scalp, and he placed his hands over the spot where his hair was torn out, massaging it. The Shadow looked at the hairs he pulled out, smiled his most malevolent smile, and sprinkled them all over Phineas, who was now sobbing as he continued to massage his scalp.

"Here ya go," said the Shadow. "Some fairy dust. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a body to take control of."

The Shadow then walked away into the mist, leaving Phineas as he continued to cry in defeat and massage his scalp as he was surrounded by his own hairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are, everyone! The advent of the Shadow himself! One of the greatest villains in the history of "Phineas and Ferb" fanfiction, if I do say so myself! And boy, did I make him villainous.
> 
> I'm quite surprised I made Phineas a capable fighter here, even if he got his butt kicked by the Shadow in the end. To be honest, I find it to be extraordinarily out-of-character for him, even with something like the death of his biological father hanging over his shoulders. I mean, of course, Phineas would naturally want to resist against something that's taken control of his mind and body, but I can no longer imagine him resisting that way. What do you guys think of this?
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this re-released chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	7. The Award Ceremony, Part 1 of 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Perry goes to the Danville O.W.C.A. headquarters to receive an award for his efforts in disbanding L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. Meanwhile, Ferb, Isabella, and the kids of Danville enact their plan to cheer Phineas up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before we begin with this new chapter, I just wanted to let everyone know that the person who salvaged this entire fic has given me their consent to identify them. So everyone, please give a round of applause to spongeyman90s! None of this would've been possible without them!
> 
> ENJOY!

The sun rose majestically over the horizon and bathed the town of Danville in its brilliant light. The dewdrops on every object in the suburbs, all from the thunderstorm last night, became to shine from the sunlight, making everything sparkle with a lovely glow. Birds began chirping harmoniously, and a man stepped out of his house to begin his daily morning jog. Downtown Danville became much busier than it would usually be in the nighttime, more pedestrians being present on the sidewalks and more automobiles driving down the streets. At the local church, its bell began ringing, signaling the beginning of a new day.

At the Flynn-Fletcher house, the light passed through the single window of the bedroom belonging to Phineas and Ferb. When the clock read 7 A.M., the top of the device opened up, and a homemade robotic arm unfolded out from it and its 'hand' poked Perry three times on the head. Perry thrust his eyes open and chattered. The two boys immediately woke up in response to the platypus's chatter, but then, there was a sudden, strange absence of Phineas's 'Good morning, Perry.'

Ferb stared at Phineas as his stepbrother silently made his way to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Ferb decided to follow him, and the two stepbrothers procured their toothbrushes and brushed their teeth in silence. The British boy waited for Phineas to speak up, like he'd usually do, but there was nothing. No word issued from the inventor's mouth, not even a single sound to indicate he still had his voice. When the two boys needed to clean their mouths with water, Ferb reached for the sink to activate it, but Phineas's hand swatted his away and did the job for him. At first, Ferb thought it was an act of kindness, but when he reached for the water, the hand swatted his away again, and Ferb watched as his stepbrother cleaned his mouth first.

After Ferb cleaned out his own mouth, it was time for them to change their clothes. Ferb put on his shirt and underpants, then put his trademark purple pants on a device he and Phineas made so Perry can practically put them on without them having to use their hands. Indeed, Perry walked forward and pressed a button with his bill, causing wind to blow up and lock Ferb's pants onto his body. However, Phineas didn't step onto his own device, which had him put on a regular white shirt and his shorts, with Perry, while holding a stick with multiple paintbrushes on it, pressing a button that spun Phineas slowly around, getting his shirt decorated with its trademark orange stripes from the stick Perry held. Instead, Phineas put on a shirt that already had orange stripes painted on it, and then his shorts.

Next, Perry had to take his morning bath. Ferb took out a bucket from the bathroom sink, filled it with water, and placed Perry in it, washing him. However, when Ferb looked up, Phineas was already gone, leaving him to do all of the work.

And during all this time, Ferb still didn't notice Phineas's green eyes.

* * *

Once Perry was done with his bath, Ferb carried the platypus down the stairs and set him on the floor, where he wandered into the kitchen. Ferb followed his pet there, and he saw Lawrence washing the dishes.

Lawrence, sensing that someone was in the kitchen, turned around and greeted, "Morning, Ferb."

Ferb gave his father the thumbs-up. Knowing that his son wasn't a talker, Lawrence didn't pursue the subject anymore, instead going back to washing the dishes.

"Dad?"

Lawrence was surprised: Ferb never spoke this early in the day. "Yes, son?" he replied.

"Don't you reckon something's wrong with Phineas?"

"What makes you think so?"

Ferb replied, "Remember last night? During dinner? When he wouldn't feed Perry?"

Lawrence slightly raised his head in thought. He suddenly knew what his son meant and replied simply, "Yes, yes I do. Awfully strange of him, he would always do that, for he'd never leave Perry hungry. But I guess that's because of-"

Lawrence became silent, and Ferb knew why. But he didn't want to give up.

"It's very strange, Dad," the British boy said. "Not only does he never feed Perry, but he never laughs during his father's anniversary. But he did last night."

"I guess he was just trying to make himself feel better."

"What about when Mum called Ms. Garcia-Shapiro? He sounded really pleased when he found out that Isabella was gonna be in serious trouble. And he is never happy with Isabella being in trouble, especially if what he did led to such an event."

Lawrence stopped washing the dishes again and walked towards Ferb. "Say, Ferb," he said, "I don't mean to go off-topic, but you sure are speaking a lot today."

"I'm just concerned for Phineas, Dad," replied Ferb.

"I'm pretty sure he's just acting strange because he's trying to make some efforts in moving on. Yesterday's always a tough day for him, and I guess he realized that it's time to let go of the past. Like you let go of the past when-"

Lawrence stopped in mid-sentence; Ferb knew what his father was about to say.

"Okay," Ferb said. "I get it now. Thanks, Dad."

Lawrence smiled. "No problem, son," he replied optimistically.

Lawrence then walked back towards the sink. However, Ferb was lost in thought. He had decided to not pursue the conversation anymore, for his father was undoubtedly convinced that his stepson's strange change in behavior was merely because he was just trying to let go of what happened during that fateful day seven years ago. But Ferb was convinced that something else was going on with his stepbrother. Something more than just trying to move on.

Ferb looked down at Perry, who was eating the leftovers of his food from last night.

"Oh, Perry," said Ferb. "If only you could talk. That way we can help each other find out what's wrong with Phineas."

Perry knew that while he couldn't talk, he can do something as good.

* * *

It was a massive grouping at the Flynn-Fletcher backyard. All of the kids of Danville acquainted with the great Phineas Flynn, from Baljeet to the Fireside Girls, have arrived to begin what Ferb and Isabella called 'Operation: Phineas'. Everyone brought the tools and supplies they needed, while Ferb managed to find every blueprint of every creation he and Phineas worked on. Linda and Lawrence were unavailable at the house right now, for they were attending an antique convention at downtown Danville. As for Phineas, they were planning to lure him away from the house with a valid invitation to Clive Addison's Danville retreat, but they didn't have to anymore, for he was already gone.

As the children began reconstruction on each and every one of Phineas and Ferb's Big Ideas, Ferb approached Isabella, who was supervising several of the projects.

"Hello, Isabella," greeted Ferb.

"Hi, Ferb," Isabella replied.

"So, how'd last night go?"

Isabella, surprisingly, was still cheerful. "It went okay. My mom told me about what your mom told her, and I told her that I was just trying to cheer him up, and that I accidentally said the wrong words. I got a lecture for thinking about what I say first before saying it, but no punishment." She suddenly looked skeptical. "Why?"

"Because Phineas was pleased when my mum told him that you'd be getting into trouble," replied Ferb.

"What?" Isabella's mouth dropped open. She never knew that Phineas had been so upset with her that he would be pleased if she got into trouble. Now, she wished more than ever that she could approach Phineas and apologize for what she said.

"Ferb," the girl said, "stay here. I'm gonna find Phineas."

"Do you even know where he is?"

"No, but I'm gonna find out." Suddenly, Isabella noticed something.

"Hey, where's Perry?"

* * *

No one noticed that Perry was behind the backyard tree, watching the construction. He smiled and, once again, he wished he could help, but he knew he had somewhere to go. And this time, it wasn't Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated. Activating the hatch in the tree, Perry jumped inside and fell several feet before landing in a car sized for O.W.C.A. agents. Inside it were the members of the squad he led at DEI during the mission concerning the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator: Pinky, Kenneth, Herman, and Terry.

_"Hey, Perry!"_ barked Pinky. _"Ready to receive your award?"_

_"Yep,"_ Perry chattered in response.

It was after their mission that the O.W.C.A. found out that L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. had been disbanded. The five agents were all regarded as heroes for bringing down the Tri-State Area's most dangerous criminal organization, and Monogram finally announced last night to the agents that they would be receiving the 'Honorary O.W.C.A. Agent' medals, a medal given to only the bravest and most dedicated O.W.C.A. agents. The agents were overjoyed at the news, for being awarded this medal was a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and this medal was of high value to every O.W.C.A. agent. Perry knew that his previous medals would look minor in comparison.

Perry and the other four agents were slightly jerked back as the car automatically sped towards the Danville headquarters of O.W.C.A. All of a sudden, Perry couldn't help but feel that going to the ceremony was now a bad idea. However, the car would only go to its intended destination with no excuses, so there was no turning back now.

After several minutes, the car stopped alongside a single door. The five agents stepped out of the car and Herman opened the door. The five agents then walked up a staircase towards a second door. Once again, Herman opened the door, and the five agents found themselves in Major Monogram's office. And lo and behold, Monogram stepped out of the shadows, accompanied by his unpaid intern Carl Karl, who was holding a handheld camera that was recording the agents. Also appearing was Pinky's superior, Admiral Wanda Acronym, and her own intern, Kelly.

"Welcome, agents," Monogram greeted. "And congratulations on your receiving of the 'Honorary O.W.C.A. Agent' medals. The members of O.W.C.A. are all proud of you, especially me. I am _really_ proud of you."

The five agents watched with surprise as a tear of happiness slid from Monogram's eye. Carl handed him a handkerchief, which Monogram used to wipe the tear.

"Thank you, Carl," said Monogram, slight strain in his voice.

"You're welcome, sir," Carl replied.

Monogram cleared his throat before becoming serious again. "Alright, agents, the ceremony starts in ten minutes at most. GO, GO, GO! Make us proud, agents!"

All five agents saluted their superiors and left the office.

* * *

Ferb watched as more and more of the inventions he made with Phineas were completed, and he realized that Isabella was right: the two of them had done everything. He was surprised that he never took note of this, and he became even prouder of himself and his stepbrother. Ferb began contemplating that the two of them should start a career revolving around this.

Walking towards the rollercoaster, Ferb smiled at the sight of it. While it looked rather crude, he saw it as his and Phineas's greatest invention, let alone their first. He didn't know why. All he knew was that it proved to be the leeway for a special summer, and Ferb noticed that it was this rollercoaster that got him to spend so much more time with his stepbrother. Sure, the two were the closest of friends when they first met, but never before have they gotten any closer after the rollercoaster's strange disappearance. They became close because they found out from building the contraption that they both shared yet another interest, their greatest interest: to make every day of their lives count. And the rollercoaster has since been looked at as majestic, not crude.

His thoughts were interrupted when he sensed that someone was beside him. Looking at his side, he saw that it was Django.

"Hey, Ferb," greeted Django.

"Hello, Django," Ferb replied.

Django looked up at the rollercoaster. "I liked the rollercoaster best," he said. "Sure, all of your other inventions were cool, but nothing beats your first invention."

"Yeah," Ferb said, looking up at the rollercoaster as well. "Your first invention."

Ferb then turned to Django. "Thanks for suggesting this."

Django looked back at Ferb. "No problem. It's the best I can do after you tried to help me impress my dad by painting the Unpainted Desert." Django then looked around before saying, "By the way, where's Isabella?"

"She went off to Phineas and apologize to him for saying the wrong words to him."

"Won't this get in the way of our plan to cheer him up?"

"No, then she's gonna take him to the backyard once we're finished and show him all of our inventions."

* * *

Perry was seated between Pinky and Terry in an audience of hundreds of O.W.C.A. agents. Never before had Perry seen so much agents. He knew that there were more divisions other than that of Monogram's and Acronym's, but he didn't imagine that there'd be a lot. He actually saw a couple of other platypuses amongst the agents, one of that batted its eyelashes at him, making it to be a female. However, Perry was too suave to fall for such charms.

Everyone was seated outside, in a large field in front of the headquarters. Beside the agents' seats were the seats for the O.W.C.A. superiors from Danville. He was able to count at least twenty superiors, but there could've been more. At the front of the seats was a stage that held a single microphone, two large loudspeakers, and a banner that read 'Congratulations, Agents'.

Finally, after almost a half-hour worth of waiting, a middle-aged, gray-haired man wearing a suit walked up to the stage. Perry recognized this man as the O.W.C.A.'s founder, General William Garrett, as did the rest of the agents. Pinky began to drool with excitement.

Taking the microphone in his hands, Garrett spoke in a wise, yet stern voice.

"When I founded the O.W.C.A. 25 years ago, my goal for the organization's agents was for them to be the bravest, most dedicated animals who will do anything to save our home, even if it leads to their own self-destruction. Agents who will say 'To heck with the odds' and go all-out to prevent evil from winning the battle. Agents that follow the code to every full extent and thwart evil on a daily basis without shedding a single complaint. Agents that are just, well, heroic. And yesterday, five certain agents have expressed every aspect of my goal. They worked together and defied the odds as they prevented evil from accomplishing its mission. And now, thanks to them, today, the world is a safer place. Will Perry the Platypus, Pink the Chihuahua, Kenneth the Kitty, Herman the Hedgehog, and Terry the Turtle come up to the stand, please?"

A thunderous applause erupted in the field as the five agents stood up and walked towards the stage, all smiling proudly and triumphantly. Monogram, Carl, Acronym, and Kelly were all clapping the hardest, for both Perry and Pinky. Perry saw that Pinky's compulsive shaking had increased and the toy dog was panting harder with excitement; the platypus couldn't help but snicker to himself.

Once the agents approached Garrett, the general slung a gold medal around each agent's neck. The medal depicted an eagle, the O.W.C.A.'s first agent, perched proudly on a tree with his arch-nemesis tied to the trunk, defeated. Perry stared at the medal and smiled proudly at his achievement. He just wished that Phineas and Ferb were here to see it. The applause became even louder upon Terry receiving the last medal.

_"Oh, gosh!"_ Pinky barked. _"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! I can't believe I have the Honorary O.W.C.A. Agent medal! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!"_

Pinky began barking like crazy, and Perry had to hold in the temptation to laugh.

Suddenly, there was a strange rumbling, and the applauding ceased. Apparently, it was not from the applause, as the rumbling continued. One of the loudspeakers soon fell over, startling Pinky.

_"AH!"_ the dog barked. _"IT'S THE APOCALYPSE! PLEASE, NOT NOW! I'VE JUST RECEIVED A MEDAL!"_

Suddenly, the rumbling stopped, and everyone was staring at the horizon. Perry chattered in shock and anger.

For occupying the horizon was an army of Doofenshmirtz's Inators from the entire summer, from the Magnetism Magnify-Inator to the If-A-Tree-Falls-In-The-Forest-Inator. However, some Inators were not present, notably the Other-Dimension-Inator and the Amnesia-Inator. Every Inator was mounted on a wheeled platform.

"HELLO, O.W.C.A.!" called Doofenshmirtz as he emerged from his Very-Very-Bad-Inator. "HOPE YOU'VE GOT YOUR 3-D GLASSES, CAUSE WE'RE COMING AT YA!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're done with this re-posted chapter! Man, I've been going through my copy of the fic that I saved away in my Google Docs document, and I realized that I really had Ferb step up to the plate and be in charge. Quite a departure from his usual characterization as a "man of action", if I do say so myself. And it looks like this is the chapter where it all started.
> 
> Not that I'm complaining or think this is OOC of him. I'm thinking Ferb would become the de facto leader if Phineas were ever incapacitated in one way or another.
> 
> Also, I recall enjoying writing the O.W.C.A. awards ceremony scene. I don't remember if "Phineas and Ferb" ever showed O.W.C.A. holding ceremonies of any kind, but I think I pulled off such an awards ceremony really well. For some reason, I particularly enjoyed writing General William Garrett's speech. Everything just flowed well in my head, and it all clearly translated well onto paper (or the computer screen, in this case).
> 
> And yes, Doofenshmirtz DID just steal a quote from his 2nd Dimension self. XP It was unconscious, mind you.
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this re-posted chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	8. O.W.C.A. Under Attack, Part 2 of 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The medal ceremony is under attack by Doofenshmirtz and his army of Inators. What else could go wrong? ...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, reading this chapter brings a smile to my face. To all of you new readers, you'll see why in just a moment. ;)

Perry ducked out of the way as a laser fired from the Very-Very-Bad-Inator hit the spot where he was standing on moments earlier. Pinky, Kenneth, Herman, Terry, and General Garrett scattered off the stage, and the audience was like a startled colony of ants, frantically scurrying around the field in all directions.

It was pure chaos. Doofenshmirtz Clones emerged from the Copy-And-Paste-Inator, holding Coition-Inators, firing the devices at agents and superiors that attempted to stop them, trapping them in bubbles of pure evil. The Scorch-Inator was fired onto a group of agents going for the Very-Very-Bad-Inator, heating them up and weakening them as a result. Monkeys hypnotized by the Monkey-Enslave-Inator attacked a trio of escaping interns and subdued them. The Deflate-Inator deflated the tires of an SUV several interns tried to use to get away from the scene. Several superiors and agents tried going for the headquarters, but Doofenshmirtz fired his Slow-Motion-Inator at them so then his clones can capture them easily. The agents pulled out their gadgets, but those were either turned into broccoli by the Metal-Destruct-Inator or pulled away toward the Magnetism Magnify-Inator. All in all, every Inator was at full maximum attack, much to Perry's surprise.

After evading a Doof Clone using a Kick-Inator 5000, Perry managed to make his way toward the De-Evolution-Inator in search of Doofenshmirtz's trademark self-destruct button. However, after minutes of heated searching, the platypus agent found none. He tried destroying it with his own fists, as Doofenshmirtz's Inators were also fragile, but he realized that the metal was stern.

_"Inators 2.0?"_ thought Perry.

Suddenly, Perry realized that Doofenshmirtz would be the key to deactivating his Inators, so he made his way towards the Very-Very-Bad-Inator, where Doofenshmirtz was constantly attempting to zap anyone in his way with. Unfortunately for the villain, he kept missing with every single shot.

"Aw, come on!" exclaimed the evil scientist. "Stop moving, ya twerps! I wanna see what my Very-Very-Bad-Inator does!"

Perry leapt into the air and was about to land a kick at Doofenshmirtz's head when a straitjacket flew out at him and enveloped him, causing him to land onto the platform Doofenshmirtz was standing on.

"Ah, Perry the Platypus," greeted Doofenshmirtz. "Think you could stop me this time, eh? Well, think again, because you are now gonna bear witness as I destroy the O.W.C.A. headquarters, capture your friends and your superiors, and imprison you all so you won't stand in the way of L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. again the moment we make another scheme to conquer the Tri-State Area! Oh, and by the way, as you noticed, there are no self-destruct buttons on my Inators. Let's just say a certain someone told me that I do not need it. Turns out that my Inators become stronger without them." He then turned to a Doof Clone, who was operating the Straitjacket-Inator, explaining Perry's straitjacket. "By the way, thanks, me, for firing the Straitjacket-Inator at Perry the Platypus before he can land a kick at someplace on my body!"

"You're welcome, me," replied the Doof Clone before firing at several more agents and superiors.

"Now, Perry the Platypus," continued Doofenshmirtz, "if you'll excuse me, I've got an organization to bring down. And people who need to be zapped with my Very-Very-Bad-Inator!"

Doofenshmirtz then continued to fire at the O.W.C.A. employees, only to keep missing every time.

"OH, COME ON!" roared Doofenshmirtz, causing Perry to snicker.

* * *

Carl watched with horror as another O.W.C.A. agent was snatched by the Super-Claw-Inator while a superior was incapacitated by the Moisture-Suck-Inator. Making a run for his car, he yelled out in shock when the Deflate-Inator deflated the car's tires. Dodging a laser fired from the Least-Likely-Inator, the intern ran towards Major Monogram, who had managed to subdue a monkey.

"Sir!" Carl called out. "We need to retreat! We're losing members and fast!"

Monogram nodded and turned to the O.W.C.A. employees, all of whom were either fighting or making a run for it, and was about to call to them when the Least-Likely-Inator zapped the major with a laser, causing him to cry out, "O.W.C.A.! DO NOT RETREAT! I REPEAT _DO NOT_ RETREAT! ALLOW YOURSELVES TO GET CAPTURED!"

"SIR!" yelled Carl as he watched in horror while Monogram allowed himself to be captured by the Super-Claw-Inator.

Carl gasped and suddenly felt a barrel press against his temple. He realized it was a Doof Clone, holding a Coition-Inator.

"Give up while you still can," the clone said, "and I'll give you a free cookie every day in prison!"

Carl's fearful face soon became etched with bravery. Holding out his chest, he said, "Never."

"If you insist," the clone replied. He then turned to the Go-Away-Inator and motioned the Doof Clone controlling it to point the device at Carl, which he did.

The first Doof Clone then faced Carl again. "_Now_ are you gonna give up?"

"Never," Carl replied again.

"As you wish. ME, FIRE THE GO-AWAY-INATOR!"

"Wait, which me?" called a third Doof Clone as he zapped an O.W.C.A. agent with the Dull-And-Boring-Inator. "You mean me?"

"No, him," replied the first Doof Clone, pointing at the Go-Away-Inator. "Him."

"You mean me?" The first Doof Clone realized he was actually pointing at a fourth Doof Clone, who was controlling the Shrink-Inator Ray.

"No, the one controlling the Go-Away-Inator!"

"Wait," the clone controlling the Go-Away-Inator said, "you were talking to me? I thought I was controlling the Evaporator-Inator!"

"Well, you're obviously controlling the Be-Gone-Inator. I mean, Go-Away-Inator! I mean... AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!"

Carl used this time to slip away from the first Doof Clone's grasp as several Doof Clones now began arguing in confusion.

Carl tried to get to any superior and agent he knew, but he always saw them getting snatched or affected by one of Doofenshmirtz's Inators. He finally saw Perry, who was in a straitjacket, near Doofenshmirtz as he controlled the Very-Very-Bad-Inator.

A dog barked, and Carl looked down to see that it was Pinky, ready for action.

"Alright, Agent P," the intern said boldly. "Let's go save Agent P." Carl's eyes then widened. "Yeah, we should find a way to distinguish our agents better."

Pinky nodded in agreement.

* * *

Perry tried getting out of his straitjacket, but it was no use. All he had to do was watch as his friends and allies were being captured before his eyes. He saw Stanley the Squirrel being captured by a Coition-Inator. He watched as Mike the Monkey fought against his own kind, only to be overpowered by them. He cringed as both Kenny the Kangaroo and Percy the Pig were hit by the Look-Away-Inator, allowing Doof Clones to envelop them in bubbles of pure evil. A particular amount of agents and superiors fell to the might of the All-Purpose-Inator, which fired differently colored lasers at random.

Perry took a glance at Doofenshmirtz, who was getting increasingly frustrated as he fired his Very-Very-Bad-Inator and continued to miss.

_"At least there's still something to laugh about,"_ Perry chattered to himself.

"AAAGGGHHH!" screeched Doofenshmirtz. "WHY DO I KEEP MISSING? I WANT TO SEE WHAT MY VERY-VERY-BAD-INATOR DOES! COME ON, YOU STUPID CONTRAPTION, HIT SOMEONE NOW! OOF!"

A blur of whitish-tan had just hit Doofenshmirtz in the hand, slamming his body into the device and causing him to fall off the platform and onto the grassy ground, knocking him out. Perry realized that Pinky had come to his rescue, and the toy dog unzipped the straitjacket trapping the platypus. The two high-fived each other and greeted Carl, who had run over to Doofenshmirtz's unconscious body.

"We gotta find something that'll deactivate all of these Inators!" said Carl. "Search him!"

Perry and Pinky nodded, and the three of them quickly began searching everywhere on Doofenshmirtz and the Very-Very-Bad-Inator for any device that could prove to be useful. However, five minutes had passed and only about two dozen O.W.C.A. employees remained, still fighting the Inators.

"Come on!" ordered Carl. "We're losing our numbers, and fast!"

Perry shrugged, having searched the entire Very-Very-Bad-Inator, but with no success. Pinky, having searched Doofenshmirtz's lab coat, looked downcast. Carl realized that Doofenshmirtz finally learned from his mistakes.

Dodging a laser from the Mime-Inator, Carl called out in his loudest voice ever, "EVERYONE! RETREAT NOW!"

The agents, superiors, and interns looked at Carl, surprised that an intern like him actually made an order, but they realized that the fight has already been won and that there was only one option left. Everyone began sprinting farther into the field, led by Carl, Perry, and Pinky, pursued by the Inators.

Meanwhile, a Doof Clone ran up to Doofenshmirtz, who was still unconscious, and threw a bucket of cold water on his head, awakening his doppelganger.

"WHAT?" Doofenshmirtz cried, startled. "What happened? Did the football game start yet?"

"They're escaping, me!" replied the Doof Clone.

"WHAT?" roared Doofenshmirtz, startling his clone. He then procured his cell phone, dialed a number, and waited for the receiver to respond.

Finally, a voice said, "They're escaping, aren't they?"

"Yes," replied Doofenshmirtz. "We managed to capture most of them, though."

"Don't worry. I'll get the escapees. In fact, I'm on it right now."

* * *

A second, much bigger rumbling started reverberating all across the field, stopping Perry, Pinky, Carl, and the remainder of the O.W.C.A. employees in their tracks. The rumbling was so strong and fierce that some people fell over, and Pinky had to lean onto Perry for support.

Suddenly, the ground in front of them exploded, leaving a crater in the earth. Numerous arms ending with clawed hands burst from the hole, grabbing many O.W.C.A. employees and then disappearing into the hole from which they came from. Those who managed to escape being grabbed made a run in the opposite direction, only to be captured by the Inators. Within seconds, Perry, Pinky, Carl, Fred the Fox, and Randy the Raccoon were the only O.W.C.A. members left. Perry gasped at what he witnessed, and presumed that those arms were part of a latest invention made by Doofenshmirtz.

Three arms suddenly emerged from the hole and lunged forward for the five remaining, but Perry managed to procure his nifty laser gun and sever the attackers. One of the arms landed at Pinky's feet, and the toy dog stood over it triumphantly. Suddenly, the hand latched itself onto one of Pinky's feet, causing him yelp out in fear, and numerous centipede-like legs appeared underneath the severed arm. Before Perry knew it, he found himself running after the centipede as it dragged Pinky away.

_"Pinky!"_ chattered Perry.

_"Perry! HELP!"_ Pinky barked.

Perry lunged for the arm, but it was quicker than him, and the platypus landed face-first into the ground. Groggily, Perry looked up and saw the arm disappear into the large hole where the arms were coming from. In front of him was Pinky's Honorary O.W.C.A. Agent medal and Pinky's fedora. Perry picked both objects up and saw that the majestic gold on the medal was now scratched, and there was tearing in the fedora.

Clutching the medal and the fedora angrily, Perry attempted to charge towards the machine, but he was held back by Fred and Randy. Carl came up to the trio of agents.

"I'm sorry, Agent P," said Carl, "but he's gone."

_"No! He's not gone!"_ chattered Perry angrily, but when Carl just looked confused, he issued a chatter of pain and agony. He wished Carl could understand how much he and Pinky were friends. The two did everything together, even in their mindless pet modes, ever since they first met during their first day of O.W.C.A. training three years ago. In fact, he wished a lot that his superiors could understand what he was saying, for he wanted to tell them a lot of things, and yet, all he would receive is looks of confusion.

"I'm sorry if I don't understand you, Agent P," Carl continued, "but for now, we have to get out of here!"

For a large dome began to rise from the hole, the many robotic arms hanging from its sides and standing upright as the dome's legs. Perry, Carl, Fred, and Randy looked on at the device in both awe and fear; Perry was shocked at how elaborate the design was. In fact, it was strangely too elaborate for Doofenshmirtz's taste.

The top of the dome, which held a much smaller dome, opened up, and a person rose up from the opening, smoothly, without holding on to anything; Perry suspected that this person was standing a platform.

Initially, Perry couldn't identify the person from a distance, but when he was able to discern the shape of the person's head, he gasped, as did Carl.

It was Phineas.

* * *

Doofenshmirtz had managed to catch up with his Inators on his Very-Very-Bad-Inator when he saw what Phineas had said he'd made at DEI. The evil scientist gasped and called out to his acquaintance.

"Hey, kid! You made _that_?"

Phineas turned to Doofenshmirtz and smiled evilly. "Yep," he replied. "I told you I'd make something awesome."

One of the machine's legs turned into an arm and it gently picked up Doofenshmirtz, taking him to Phineas, who was standing on a platform. Settled beside the boy, the evil scientist looked at what Phineas was looking at: Perry, Monogram's intern Carl, a fox agent, and a raccoon agent.

"So, Perry," said Phineas, "surprised that I'm working for your arch-nemesis?"

Perry said nothing, but Doofenshmirtz turned to Phineas in shock. "Wait," he said, "you know Perry the Platypus?"

"Yes, I told you that he is my pet platypus. I can recognize him from anywhere."

Doofenshmirtz put a finger on his chin before his eyes widened with realization. "Oh, that's right!" The scientist then pointed a finger at Perry, cackling. "Look at that, Perry the Platypus! Your owner's on my side now! And I've found that he can prove to be very useful! I mean, look at the Inator he built!"

"Inator?" asked Phineas, looking at Doofenshmirtz with crossed arms.

"Oh, yeah," Doofenshmirtz replied, "that's what I call my inventions!"

"Sounds pretty uncreative to me."

"Why thank y-" Doofenshmirtz realized what Phineas really said. "HEY!"

"That's the truth, sir," said Norm, who had just appeared behind Phineas and Doofenshmirtz.

"Norm?" Doofenshmirtz said in surprise. "How'd you get here so fast? I thought you were at DEI?"

"Don't you remember? You outfitted my feet with rocket skates that can double as feet-mounted jetpacks!"

Phineas and Doofenshmirtz both looked at Norm's feet, which were outfitted with, indeed, rocket skates that were pointed downward. Doofenshmirtz's eyes widened with wonder and more surprise.

"Wow," he said. "I _really_ need to read your instruction manual."

"Yes, yes you do," said Norm. "And while you were talking away, the three agents and that intern managed to sneak away into the nearby forest while you two weren't looking!"

"WHAT?" roared Phineas, startling Doofenshmirtz. The inventor looked at the spot where Perry, Carl, and the two agents were, and found that the robot was right: they had taken advantage of their conversation to sneak away into the forest.

"Well," replied Doofenshmirtz, "at least we have most of the O.W.C.A. in our grasp."

"Ah, trying to see bright side of things, huh?" Phineas snarled, looking at Doofenshmirtz with his green eyes, which were practically burning with rage. Doofenshmirtz gulped.

"Whoa, kid, no need to get all angry."

"Well I wouldn't have to because _while you were busy talking away_ THOSE FOUR ESCAPED, _AND NOW THEY WILL SERVE AS AN_ **OBSTACLE TO OUR PLAN**! **AND YET, YOU SEE THE BRIGHT SIDE OF IT BY SAYING **_**'AT LEAST WE HAVE MOST OF THE O.W.C.A. IN OUR GRASP'! THERE IS A NEED TO GET ANGRY FOR ME**_!"

Doofenshmirtz was really surprised with the boy's attitude. He never expected himself to be scared of a mere ten-year-old, but now that he stared into the boy's furious face, the perilously green eyes, he felt himself shrinking. He suddenly let loose a tiny whimper, which proved to be a mistake for him because Phineas noticed it. The boy lunged forward and kicked Doofenshmirtz in the leg, causing him to fall down to the floor with a short cry of pain. Phineas then knelt down and grabbed Doofenshmirtz's hairs roughly and pulled it, lifting the scientist's head up painfully.

"You _coward_," growled Phineas. "You whimper at a ten-year-old that you can easily defeat? When I first saw your sign on that building of yours at the park, I thought I would be dealing with a villain who knew what to do, who would never hesitate to overlook any flaws in his schemes. But I didn't count on working alongside _a complete idiot_. It's a good thing I didn't dispose of you like the trash you are because you are surprisingly skilled with inventing, but if you cross my line, then you _won't_ like the consequences. Not at all. Are we clear on that?"

Doofenshmirtz emitted a sound of agreement, and Phineas smiled a disturbingly calm smile. Suddenly, he then slammed Doofenshmirtz's head onto the metal floor of the dome.

"OW!" Doofenshmirtz exclaimed. "What was that for?"

Phineas's reply chilled Doofenshmirtz to the bone. "That was just for _fun_."

Phineas approached a computer screen on the dashboard of the dome's top and pressed a large green button. The screen showed a video image of the O.W.C.A. employees the dome-like device captured, including Pinky, imprisoned inside the dome. The effects of Doofenshmirtz's Inators have worn off on them, but they were already shackled and struggling against their bonds. Phineas smiled sadistically at the image before turning to Doofenshmirtz, who was standing up with the help of Norm.

"Doofenshmirtz, get your clones to follow us down the hole with the Inators and the O.W.C.A. members they got," he commanded. "We're going back to DEI."

Doofenshmirtz followed the order without any sign of protest.

* * *

Perry followed his three companions as they ran further inside the forest. The dome-like device was slowly vanishing out of sight due to the trees and bushes, but it didn't matter. The four just kept running and running and they didn't stop. They didn't want to be anywhere near the device.

The only thing that distracted Perry from the exhaustion of running was the sight of his owner smiling evilly at the top of the invention that imprisoned his friends and colleagues. The sight of Doofenshmirtz standing beside Phineas like the both of them were friends or something. The sight of Phineas kidnapping his allies at O.W.C.A. It was so overwhelming, and so unrealistic. He couldn't imagine why Phineas would do such a thing. Better yet, he asked himself, "How did Phineas know I'm a secret agent? Didn't he have his memory wiped?" Doofenshmirtz would've told him, but since the villain had his memory wiped as well, he would've had to regain it first before he can tell Phineas of this revelation, meaning that there was a higher power at work here.

Finally, the four stopped running. Never before had any of them become relieved that they ran such long distances. They were panting their hardest, their sweat actually dripping to the ground. After several minutes, the panting ceased, and Carl, Fred, and Randy all faced Perry, who was still wearing shock on his face.

"Agent P," said Carl, "how did Phineas know that you were a secret agent? Did you let it slip?"

Perry shook his head.

"Did you leave one of the secret entrances to your lair open?"

Perry shook his head.

"How do you think Phineas would know?"

Perry nervously shrugged, not looking at Carl.

Carl felt sorry for Perry, and the intern suddenly felt that he was in the place of Major Monogram. He finally knew how much power he had access to now that he was the only human leading the remaining agents, and he found that he didn't like this power at all if it was gonna hurt the agents' feelings. He wondered how people like Monogram and Acronym could handle such duties. However, Carl knew that now he was practically superior now, he had to use this power wisely. Like he read in the 'Spider-Man' comics: _"With great power comes great responsibility."_

Carl knelt down beside Perry and said, "Look, Agent P, I'm sorry if I'm making you nervous, but we need to know all of the information you can have on at least the probable circumstances that led to Phineas regaining his memory. O.W.C.A.'s undercover status is at stake, as is the world's safety, and we have to act, starting with going back to your host family's home. They're in danger as long as Phineas is acting this way."

Perry nodded in agreement, and he led Carl, Fred, and Randy into Danville.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see, I really went all-out with this chapter. And I mean REALLY. I tried to give as many roles to as many of Doofenshmirtz's Inators as I could. It is truly astounding to see all these Inators in action, all because of the creative choices on my part. I can tell I enjoyed writing this action sequence back then, using all the information that I could grab from the P&F Wikia. Obviously, action was my forte back then, and it still is now.
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	9. Doofenshmirtz's New Ally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The members of L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. go to DEI after hearing the news about the O.W.C.A.'s headquarters' destruction. There, they meet Doofenshmirtz's new ally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this was late, you guys. I know I normally update this story every five days, but this time, I was pretty preoccupied by the start of the new college semester. But the good news is this will be my last semester. I'm close to the finish line, y'all! In May or June (I need to check my calendar), I'll be graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in Literature & Writing Studies! Wish me the best of luck, everyone! :D
> 
> Alright, on with the chapter! ENJOY!

Rodney seated himself in his armchair, bored out of his mind. Picking up the remote that was laid on a nearby table, the evil scientist turned on his homemade, advanced TV. The screen's light illuminated the entire room, but Rodney was used to it. Scanning through several channels, Rodney smiled as the logo of his favorite TV show 'Evil Science: A Chronology of the World's Greatest Evil Scientists' was boldly displayed on the screen. Sitting back, Rodney smiled as he learned about the life of Grelime Evill, a particularly famous evil scientist of the 1920s and 1930s and his childhood idol.

Suddenly, before he could learn about how Grelime started the Great Depression, the image was replaced with the bolded letters 'Breaking News'.

"Oh, come on!" Rodney cried, frustrated. "The next time another piece of 'breaking news' comes up during one of my favorite shows, I'm gonna enact my fiendish plan to activate my Non-Breaking-News-Inizer, or my name is not Aloyse Everheart Elizabeth Otto Wolfgang Hypatia Gunther Galen Gary Cooper von Roddenstein!"

_**"Breaking news today,"**_ a reporter's voice said, _**"just fifteen minutes ago, two forest rangers came across a startling sight-"**_

"Boring," replied Rodney, crossing his arms.

_ **"-A demolished pet store, undoubtedly the victim of a terrorist bombing."** _

"Yep, boring."

_ **"Jake Marks is at the ruins of the pet store right now. Jake?"** _

A blond-haired man wearing a brown suit and a blue tie was shown on the TV, standing in front of the ruins. Even though he didn't care about what was being reported, Rodney was impressed on how demolished the pet store looked.

_**"Hello, Harry,"**_ the reporter replied. _**"Just fifteen minutes ago, forest rangers Tyler Manning and Jessie Stevens came across this aftermath of destruction. Currently, we have no information on any fatalities. In fact, no bodies were found so far."**_

The camera then turned to the ruins to scan the ruins. Suddenly, Rodney spotted the sign, one of the few things that only suffered minor damage. The sign clearly read 'O.W.C.A. Headquarters (Do not pay attention to this sign)'. Rodney immediately stood up and dashed for the phone. Picking it up, he dialed a number and waited for the receiver to respond.

Finally, a voice said, "Hello?"

"Dr. Bloodpudding!" greeted Rodney. "It is me, Aloyse Everheart Elizabeth Otto Wolfgang Hypatia Gunther Galen Gary Cooper von Roddenstein!" Rodney thought he heard his former L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. colleague sigh as he described his full name, but he dismissed it. "Check the news, now! It's about the O.W.C.A.!"

"Which news?" asked Bloodpudding.

"The one on Channel 17!" Rodney replied.

It was silent for a couple of minutes. Finally, Bloodpudding said, excitedly, "Yeah, I'm seeing it! Do you think Doofenshmirtz is behind this?"

"I don't know. He seems too stupid to pull off something like that."

"I don't know about that. He sounded really stressed when we said L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. will be disbanded until he gets rid of the O.W.C.A. Maybe he snapped and actually went to the headquarters to destroy it!"

"We'll have to go to DEI and make sure," said Rodney. "Bloodpudding, gather the rest of L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. and tell them to go to DEI."

* * *

_ **Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated!** _

All nine evil scientists rolled their eyes at the evil jingle as the elevator containing them was lifted up towards the penthouse where Doofenshmirtz lived.

"Why does Doofenshmirtz need a jingle for his place?" asked Tancien. "Kinda silly and stupid, if you know what I mean."

"I agree," replied Helmetair. "But, if we're gonna keep his trust so then we can conquer the Tri-State Area, it's best not to mention that to him."

"Well, I hope we conquer the Tri-State Area fast," Diminuitive said, "because that jingle's annoying the crud out of me!"

Finally, the elevator stopped with a slight jerk and the doors slowly slid open to reveal a hallway with doors on both walls. Walking down said hallway, the villains finally stopped at Door #8177. Rodney stepped forward and knocked on it thrice. After a minute, the doorknob trembled greatly, and there was a sound of breaking wood and crushing of metal. Doofenshmirtz said something indiscernible before a glow enveloped the door, and it immediately swung open, revealing Doofenshmirtz, who was holding his Door-Opener-Inator in one hand and an icepack in his other hand. Beside him was Norm, who was holding another detached doorknob.

"Hey, guys!" greeted Doofenshmirtz, welcoming his colleagues into the room. "I'm betting you all saw the news on Channel 17!"

"Only us did," replied Bloodpudding, pointing at himself and Rodney. "We just told the rest to accompany us to your penthouse."

"Is it true, Doofenshmirtz?" Rodney asked, almost accusingly. "Is it true that you attacked the O.W.C.A. headquarters and annihilated it into oblivion?"

"I must confess, Rodney," Doofenshmirtz replied, "I _did_."

The nine scientists all gasped with shock. "You did?" asked Rodney. "And by the way, for the last time, it's not Rodney, it's Aloyse Ever-"

"Yes, yes I did," Doofenshmirtz quickly cut him off in response. "But with a little help."

"Help?" replied Croachaye.

"Yes. Prepare to meet the newest member of L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N.!" Doofenshmirtz then called, "Oh, Phineas! We've got company!"

Phineas's head poked itself out of the next room. "What?" he snarled. "I'm busy making some more modifications to your designs!"

Phineas suddenly saw Doofenshmirtz's allies, and stepped into the room. The nine villains looked back at the ten-year-old inventor, and then they burst out into laughter.

"What?" Doofenshmirtz said, annoyed. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, Doofenshmirtz," replied Rodney, "have you sunk into your lowest?" The scientist then mimicked Phineas. "Ooh, look at me, I'm an evil ten-year-old boy who just helped an evil scientist destroy the headquarters of an organization dedicated to promoting good! Gimme some ice cream and some candy! AHAHAHAHAHA! THAT'S SO _RIDICULOUS_!"

"Uh, Rodney-" began Doofenshmirtz, but Rodney cut him off.

"It's Aloyse Everheart Elizabeth Otto Wolfgang Hypatia Gunther Galen Gary Cooper von Roddenstein, Doofenshmirtz. Anyway-" Rodney continued mimicking Phineas as the other scientists laughed vivaciously. "-Oh, I'm so evil and at home I'm a good boy!"

"I don't think you should be doing that," warned Doofenshmirtz.

"Look at me, everyone!" exclaimed Rodney to the other scientists, ignoring Doofenshmirtz's warning. "I stole a bicycle and that makes me evil! I'm such a bad boy! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Everyone's laughter heightened, and Croachaye and Blair fell over on their backs from their strong laughing.

"Look at me!" Rodney cried. "I'm- AAARRRGGGHHH!"

Phineas had kicked the back of Rodney's left leg, sending the big-headed scientist crumpling to the ground in pain. The eight other scientists gasped as Phineas then stepped onto Rodney's back and slammed his elbow hard into it, causing him to yell out in agony.

Phineas then ran for Diminuitive, who screamed as the boy threw him hard into a shelf. Helmetair procured her stun gun, but Phineas turned it on herself when she pulled the trigger, stunning her torso, before he hit the gun across Helmetair's cheek. Bulkare managed to grab Phineas and hold him back before he could do anymore damage to Helmetair, but the boy bit on his hand so hard until it bled, causing the large villain to let go and clutch his bleeding hand; Phineas then kicked Bulkare hard on the crotch, and he crumpled to the floor in more pain. Croachaye and Sharpeard dove forward for Phineas, but he stepped out of the way and, when the two scientists fell to the ground, he grabbed their heads and bashed it into each other, nearly knocking them out. Blair tried to knock Phineas out with a lamp, but Phineas grabbed the handle easily, pulled the lamp out of her reach, and began strangling her and a fleeing Bloodpudding with it hard for a few seconds until he let go, and the two scientists began gasping for breath, incapacitated. The entire time, Phineas was smiling his most sadistic smile yet.

Phineas then turned to Tancien, who was trembling at the corner. "Please," begged Tancien, "please don't attack me. I'm too old for this!"

"I know you are," replied Phineas. He then turned to the eight fallen scientists, all of whom looked back at him with fear. "I guess that'll teach you to mess with me. Have you all learned your lesson?"

The scientists nodded fearfully. "Good," replied Phineas. Suddenly, his watch began beeping and he looked at it.

"Great," he said, annoyed. "I need to go home." The boy turned to Doofenshmirtz, who was watching the entire event open-mouthed. "I'll be seeing _you_ tomorrow."

"Sure, kiddo," replied Doofenshmirtz apprehensively. "Bye!"

Phineas walked out of the still-open door, and Norm closed it for him in spite of the fact that the doorknob was missing. All ten evil scientists stood still in their positions for almost an hour, as if Phineas's evil presence was still in the room, watching them. Finally, Rodney broke the silence after standing up, rubbing his back.

"Okay, Doofenshmirtz," he said, "so we believe you. But are you _nuts_? Who would've known this boy would manage to beat most of us up to near-death in one minute. No seriously, _one freakin' minute_! I timed the whole thing like the back of my hand! This boy doesn't deserve to work with us! He's INSANE!"

"I know, I know," Doofenshmirtz replied. "Sure, he's out of his mind. But he's actually good to work with as long as you don't get on his bad side. He gave me advice on how to make my Inators stronger. If it weren't for him, I would've been defeated again!"

"I don't care, Doofenshmirtz," said Bloodpudding. "I can't afford to have my life flash by before my eyes while I'm being strangled by a lamp!"

"Me neither!" Blair exclaimed angrily, rubbing her throat.

"Look, fellas, I know this boy is a whole level higher than us in quantities of evil-"

"More like _thousands_ of levels higher!" chided Sharpeard, throwing his hands up in the air in despair.

"Look, just hear me out! I promise you, I'll try to find a way to get us on the same page as the boy, and once we do, he'll bring success to L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N.! Speaking of which, since I annihilated the O.W.C.A. headquarters and captured its members, does that mean L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. is back?"

"I guess so," replied Rodney reluctantly. He suddenly became suspicious. "Wait a minute, _captured_ its members?"

"Yes, I captured the O.W.C.A.'s members!"

"WHAT?" screeched Rodney, startling Doofenshmirtz. "DO YOU REALIZE THAT THOSE DARN AGENTS WILL ESCAPE AND FOIL US AGAIN? WE TOLD YOU TO DESTROY THEM!"

"Don't worry about that, Rodney, Phineas triple-checked the bonds restraining them. And remember, he's good. Anyway, we spared them because Phineas suggested that we zap them with the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator so we can have the might of the O.W.C.A. behind us, as said yesterday by Helmetair!"

"Fine, the plan works." Suddenly, Rodney became angry again. "AND FOR THE LAST TIME, IT'S ALOYSE-"

"I don't have time for your full name, Rodney," replied Doofenshmirtz, cutting him off. "If you'll excuse me, I've got a door to fix. Good day to you, everyone! We'll all meet again tomorrow for a meeting on how to conquer the world."

"Wait, _conquer the world_?" Diminuitive asked.

"Yeah, Phineas is interested in conquering the world. Don't worry, he's promised us full control of the Tri-State Area, just as long as we report to him in case we might have plans to extend our power in other areas."

The nine scientists looked at one another, and then all but Rodney bade Doofenshmirtz farewell. Rodney was lost in thought, but Doofenshmirtz ignored it as he ushered his allies out of the penthouse.

Once everyone except himself and Norm were out of the room, Doofenshmirtz ordered Norm to get his toolbox. When the robot left, the villainous scientist approached a draped object and pulled off the drape, revealing the unseen object to be the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator, now modified without a self-destruct mechanism. Staring at the device, Doofenshmirtz began to reminisce of the time he first encountered Phineas, just yesterday...

_Doofenshmirtz had just declared to Norm that he would destroy his arch-nemesis Perry as well as the O.W.C.A. when the doorbell rang._

_"Huh," said Doofenshmirtz. "Visitors. And I wasn't expecting any. Hope it's not those accursed Fireside Girls and their annoyingly delicious cupcakes!"_

_The scientist approached the door and opened it. Fortunately for him, it wasn't Fireside Girls, but a boy of about ten, with messy red hair and eerie green eyes. He was wearing a white shirt with orange stripes and blue shorts. The boy was frowning, and yet, Doofenshmirtz noticed that something about the frown wasn't right; it felt as though the boy was actually smiling instead._

_"Is this Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated?" asked the boy._

_"Uh, yes," Doofenshmirtz replied._

_"Good." The boy stepped inside and closed the door for Doofenshmirtz. He then faced the scientist and asked, "What exactly_ is _Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated dedicated to anyway?"_

_Doofenshmirtz put on his best businesslike voice. "Oh, well here at Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated, we're dedicated to promoting evil and naughtiness. We never hesitate to cause misery to many lives. I am Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, the founder."_

_"Excellent!" the boy replied. "I'm Phineas Albert Flynn, and I wanna join your company!"_

_This statement startled Doofenshmirtz. "_You_? You want to join Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated? Aren't you a little too _young _to be evil?"_

_"Yes, yes I am."_

_"I can't recruit you! You're just a kid! Doesn't seem right to me."_

_"I may be, but I'm good with inventing."_

_"Show me then," replied Doofenshmirtz, crossing his arms._

_The boy named Phineas immediately went to work. Approaching the ruins of the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator, he began reconstructing it, and Doofenshmirtz watched in awe as his Inator was being rebuilt. Finally, three minutes have passed when Phineas finished, and the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator was looking like the way it was before Perry activated the self-destruct button._

_"Wow, you are good," Doofenshmirtz uttered. He then announced, "Alright, fine, you're in!"_

_Phineas crossed his arms arrogantly and triumphantly. Doofenshmirtz suddenly noticed that something seemed to be missing from the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator._

_"Wait a minute, where's the self-destruct button?"_

_"Oh, I took that out. I can now see why that device was a pile of rubble when I first saw it."_

_"What? Don't take it out!"_

_Phineas stared at the evil scientist with his eerily green eyes. "And why not?"_

_Doofenshmirtz was about to answer when he became immersed in thought. He finally replied, "I really don't know. I think I had a reason for adding them before, but now, it's gone with the ages."_

_"Well, it is completely unnecessary to have those things on this device. Why? Because the entire device is wired to the button, which is only meant for, as it says, self-destruction. As a result, the device's power is decreased significantly because of this one overriding function. Without the button, however, its power can be unimaginable!"_

_Doofenshmirtz listened to Phineas's explanation in awe. "Wow," he commented. "Nice touch, kiddo. I've never thought of it."_

_Phineas's eyes became slits, and Doofenshmirtz was worried that he somehow offended the boy. But then, the inventor's eyes became normal-sized._

_"Alright then," the boy said, "so what's the plan?"_

_"What plan?"_

_Phineas looked furious, startling Doofenshmirtz. "You mean you don't have a plan yet?" berated the boy._

_"Well, I_ am _in the midst of planning an assault on the headquarters of an organization that always stands in the way of my plans, but so far, I've gone nowhere."_

_"Ah, an assault on an organization's headquarters," Phineas replied, the slight sadism present in his voice. "I'll help you plan that up."_

_"Really?"_

_"Yep. Just give me the day to think about it."_

_"Sure, kiddo."_

_Suddenly, Phineas's watch began beeping. "Ugh," he groaned. "I need to get home soon. My family's expecting me."_

_"Oh, go on out," Doofenshmirtz said, escorting Phineas to the door. "I'll hear from you when you have the chance. Here, here's my card." The scientist gave Phineas a business card, and the ten-year-old nodded back in response._

_However, before Phineas can leave, Doofenshmirtz spoke to him again._

_"Wait a minute, Phineas?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"I can't help but notice that you look awfully_ familiar _to me..."_

_Phineas's tone was disturbingly cold. "And I should care because?"_

_"Nothing," replied Doofenshmirtz quickly. The boy narrowed his eyes at him before leaving._

_Suddenly, there was sounds of construction; Norm had just activated Doofenshmirtz's Rebuild-My-Lair-Inator._

_"Norm!" the scientist called out._

_"Yes, sir?"_

_"I think today's gonna be a great day today, for I have found a new ally!"_

Now, Doofenshmirtz couldn't help but feel that yesterday was no longer a great day.

* * *

Phineas walked down the sidewalk, immersed in his thoughts. Sometimes, he couldn't help but regret joining forces with Heinz Doofenshmirtz and DEI and what the scientist called L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. The organization's name even sounded too silly for his taste. However, if he wanted to take over the world, then he would have to continue his now-unsteady alliance with them, no matter how large in quantity the silliness was going to be. And working with Doofenshmirtz had its upsides too, for the O.W.C.A. was mostly out of the way, with the only problems to deal with being few in amounts.

However, he knew that an army of just Doofenshmirtz, his Inators, the O.W.C.A., and his allies at L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. wasn't enough. He was going to need more firepower, more troops, and more might, which will all stand behind him, in order to set the leeway for his scheme of world domination. But he didn't know where to start. Maybe he was gonna have to ask his good self for aid...

After a couple more minutes of walking, Phineas came across 2308 Maple Drive. He suddenly noticed that there was a gargantuan object in the backyard that was draped, and he couldn't identify it. Curiously, Phineas walked into the backyard through the gate, and he could've sworn he heard some people whispering. It was at that time that Phineas noticed that there were also numerous other objects, all covered with the same drape.

Suddenly, there was a tremendous "SURPRISE!"

Phineas yelled out as Ferb, Candace, Baljeet, Buford, the Fireside Girls, Django, Irving, and every other kid from Maple Drive emerged from their hiding places. A banner that was extended from the backyard tree to the window in Candace's bedroom unfolded itself with the help of a boy and a girl; the banner read 'Welcome Back, Phineas Flynn!'

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," cried Phineas, trying to stay in character, "what's going on?"

Ferb stepped forward. "Welcome back, bro," the British boy said, taking Phineas's hand. Candace took Phineas's other hand, and the inventor became cautious as they took him closer to the draped objects.

"Where's Isabella?" asked Candace.

"Who?" Phineas replied.

Everyone's eyes widened. "You know," said Ferb, "Isabella?"

Phineas suddenly remembered. "Oh yeah, Isabella! Sorry for not remembering, I've had a long day today. Anyway, I didn't see her."

"I'll text her to say that you're already here," Gretchen said.

"Phineas," said Candace, "it looks like today's gonna be longer for you."

"REMOVE THE DRAPE!" yelled both Ferb and Candace. The kids closest to the drape nodded, grabbed its edges, and pulled as hard as they can. The drape soon fell off, revealing all of Phineas and Ferb's inventions from the summer. Everything from the rollercoaster to the soccer bio-dome. It was all grouped up together majestically, like some sort of super-theme park or something.

Phineas gasped. "Wow," he said simply. "Just... wow!"

"It was all Django's idea," said Ferb.

"Django's?" Phineas asked, and Django stepped forward.

"I hope this cheered you up Phineas," Django said. Phineas recognized Django as the same boy that sent him to the park to be zapped by the laser and therefore start the creation of his evil.

_"First getting me created, then suggesting this?"_ Phineas thought. He looked back at the inventions, all bathed in the majestic afternoon light.

"So, Phineas," said Ferb, "what do you think? Are you okay now?"

Phineas smiled. "Yes, Ferb. Yes I am. In fact, I am _better_ than okay."

No one still noticed Phineas's green eyes, which were now alive as the boy continued to stare at the inventions, his smile becoming more evil by the minute.

_"It looks like I've found my 'more firepower'."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, hope you enjoyed this re-posted chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	10. Busted!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Phineas now cheered up, Candace decides to go bust her brothers, only for things to take on a different pattern this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, everyone! This is the part where things REALLY escalate and become crazy! Not sure if this was a good thing for the story in the long-term, but...we'll see!
> 
> ENJOY!

"Alright," Candace said to Ferb, giggling evilly, "now that Phineas is all cheered up, now I can bust you guys!"

"Sure, knock yourself out," replied her stepbrother. "Everything's gonna disappear anyway from this _Mysterious Force_."

"Not if I can help it!" exclaimed Candace as she ran into the house.

Everyone looked at the door in which Candace ran through before Ferb took out a schedule and began walking into the many inventions. The children of Maple Drive followed him inside.

"So, Phineas," said Ferb, "which invention should we use first? I personally believe we should use the rollercoaster. After all, it is our first invention."

There was no response. Ferb looked at his side, believing Phineas would be there, only to see no sign of the ten-year-old inventor.

"Phineas?"

Ferb turned to the group of children, all of whom were about to use several inventions.

"Hey, guys?" called out Ferb, gaining everyone's attention. "Where's Phineas?"

"I thought he'd be going with you, so we didn't pay any attention to you two!" replied Baljeet.

"Me too," Buford added, and the rest of the children nodded in agreement before beginning to board the inventions they were planning to use. In the meantime, Ferb placed his hand on his chin.

_"Hm,"_ Ferb thought, _"why did Phineas run off? And when we cheered him up?"_

* * *

Entering her bedroom, Candace desperately tried to find a way to make sure she can bust her brothers before the Mysterious Force can reach Ferb's contraptions. At first, she decided to call her mother again, but found it too cliche and that the Mysterious Force would beat Linda to it. Producing her cell phone from her pocket, the redheaded teenager examined her beloved means of communication, trying to find ways of allowing her mom to see the inventions even after the Mysterious Force had done its job. This proved to be a difficult job, as Linda bought the cheapest cell phone she can find after Candace lost her phone dozens of times during the summer. All the phone did was make phone calls, text messages, and record with low quality.

Suddenly, Candace's eyes brightened with glee. The phone can record! Although the image would be of poor quality, the teenager hoped it would be enough to get her mother convinced that she had been right the entire summer, and that Phineas and Ferb should be busted for all of the things they've done.

About to activate the phone, Candace heard a knock on her bedroom door. Looking back, she saw it was Phineas, leaning against the door.

"Hello, sis," the boy said ominously. Candace ignored her brother's tone.

"Phineas, get out of my room," she ordered. "I'm trying to bust you."

Phineas smiled. "I'd turn off that phone if I were you."

"Well, you're _not_ me." Candace walked forward and shoved her brother out of her room and closed the door behind him, locking it.

Candace then ran towards her bedroom window, her phone now on, and was about to activate the recording mechanism when...

_BANG!_

Candace screamed as the door was knocked down abruptly. Phineas was standing in the doorway, smiling his eeriest smile yet. Candace suddenly noticed her brother's green eyes as he stalked towards her.

"Phineas?"

* * *

Ferb, Django, and several other children stepped off of the rollercoaster, having just ridden it, when Ferb saw Candace's best friend Stacy Hirano. Standing beside her was her boyfriend Coltrane and Candace's boyfriend Jeremy. All three were looking at the inventions in awe.

The British boy approached them and greeted, "Impressed?"

Jeremy looked at Ferb and replied, "You guys rebuilt every invention you did this summer?" The laid-back boy then smiled. "That's so _awesome_! Where's the funhouse? I really liked that one!"

"Right between to the circus and the backyard aquarium."

"What about the golf course?" asked Stacy hopefully.

"Between the bounce house and the haunted house."

"Thanks," Jeremy and Stacy replied simultaneously before they walked into the backyard of inventions, accompanied by Coltrane. However, Jeremy stopped.

"By the way, where's Candace?" he asked.

"She went inside the house to bust us."

Jeremy smiled, knowing that was what Candace would always do. "Ah, that's my girl."

At that moment, a scream erupted from inside the Flynn-Fletcher house, stopping everyone in his or her tracks. It was a bloodcurdling scream that echoed eerily through the air, and the aftermath made Baljeet shiver, inspiring the nearby Buford to give him a wedgie.

Jeremy recognized the scream at once. "Candace?"

Everyone watched with confusion as the window to Candace's bedroom opened abruptly and the teenager herself emerged and began running on the roof in fear. Then, Phineas emerged from the window and began pursuing his sister all over the roof, holding something that was gleaming in the sun like a weapon.

"PHINEAS, PLEASE STOP!" shrieked Candace. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

However, Phineas replied with sadistic laughter. Jeremy stepped forward and called, "Candace, what's going on?"

"HELP ME, JEREMY! PHINEAS IS TRYING TO KILL ME!"

"Uh huh," replied Jeremy wearily as he crossed his arms.

"I'M FREAKIN' SERIOUS! HELP ME, SOMEONE!"

Unfortunately, no one was coming to Candace's rescue; no one was taking her seriously. When Phineas began catching up with her, Candace screamed her loudest and, in a last-ditch effort to survive, began running for the edge of the roof, preparing to jump.

"CANDACE!" cried Stacy as everyone gasped at what Candace was about to do. "WATCH OUT!"

But it was too late. Candace knew that there was only one thing left to do. Bracing herself, she jumped off the roof, and everyone screamed in shock. The redhead felt the air rush up her body, as if an enormous fan was directly below her. Bracing herself for impact, Candace closed her eyes, only to feel someone catch her. Opening her eyes, she saw that it was Jeremy, and she briefly became entranced by his rescue of her, but she was shortly pulled back into reality by Ferb's following scream of concern.

"PHINEAS!"

Phineas, the unknown gleaming object still in his hand, was also preparing to jump off the roof as well. Jeremy put Candace to her feet and rushed forward to catch the inventor.

"JEREMY, NO!" cried Candace, but Jeremy had already caught Phineas.

"Phew," said Jeremy, looking at Phineas. "What are guys doing, running around on the roof? You know it's not safe."

Phineas looked back at him with his green eyes, causing Jeremy to gasp, and replied simply, "I know."

The boy then raised the object that had been in his hand, and everyone gasped at the sight of it: it was a large kitchen knife, slightly bigger than Phineas's hand, making the scene of him holding it a bit awkward. However, no one was concerned about that, as Phineas then punched Jeremy in the face, causing the blond teenager to fall, and he then grabbed Jeremy's head and held the shining blade against his neck.

"PHINEAS!" exclaimed Ferb.

However, Phineas only looked at Candace. "Give me the phone," he said angrily, "or I open up your boyfriend's neck."

Candace looked at her phone that she planned to use to bust her brothers with, then back at Jeremy, who gulped as the blade pressed itself lightly against the skin of his neck.

Phineas then cackled. "Oh, _come on_! Do you honestly want to hand over your loved one's life in exchange for seeing your little brothers get in the biggest of troubles? How _stupid_ are you, girl?"

"Phineas!" cried Stacy. "What in the world are you doing?"

Phineas stuck his hand, the one not holding the knife, into the back of his pants and then procured a stun gun he managed to acquire from DEI. Pointing it at the crowd of onlookers, all of whom gasped at the sight of it, he then looked back at Candace.

"Give me the phone," he said, "or I kill your boyfriend _and_ your best friend!" He then pointed the stun gun right at Stacy's face, and she let out a little gasp.

Candace immediately knew that the battle was won.

Tossing her cell phone to Phineas's side, the boy then angrily crushed it until it became a pile of tiny pieces. The backyard was silent as Phineas then released his grip on Jeremy and lowered his gun away from Stacy. But before the two teenagers can move away, Phineas suddenly held the knife up, smiling sadistically, and sunk half of the blade into Jeremy's stomach, causing him to cry out in agony. He then aimed the gun at Stacy and fired three lasers, one of which hit her shoulder and the other two hitting her legs; the Asian girl fell to the ground, crying out as well while Coltrane ran to her side. Everyone else screamed, especially Ferb and Candace, as Phineas yanked the blade out of Jeremy's stomach and kicked him aside; Candace ran to his side as he began to control the bleeding.

"WHY'D YOU DO THAT, PHINEAS?" screeched Candace. "YOU SAID YOU WOULDN'T HURT THEM UNLESS I GAVE YOU MY PHONE!"

"Ah," replied Phineas, "I actually said I wouldn't _kill_ them, not _hurt_ them. And because I put that phone out of the way doesn't mean I don't get to have any fun!"

Ferb walked forward to Phineas, ignoring the blood-coated knife. "What happened to you, Phineas?" he asked. "I thought we made you better! And now, you injure two teenagers!"

"Oh, you _did_ make me feel better. How? You made all of these inventions for me so I can use them to conquer the world!"

"CONQUER THE WORLD?" exclaimed Buford. "HAVE YOU GONE NUTS, DINNER BELL?"

Phineas immediately yawned and shot the bully in the shoulder with his stun gun.

"I really don't like that name, Van Stomm," replied Phineas coldly. Ignoring Baljeet and several other kids attending to Buford, he tossed the knife towards the door leading into the house and took out his cell phone, still aiming it at the bystanders. Dialing a number, he put the device to his ear and waited for Doofenshmirtz to answer.

"Hello?" came the voice of Norm.

"It's Phineas," the boy replied. "I wanna speak to Doofenshmirtz. _Now_."

"Right away, sir!"

_"Doofenshmirtz?"_ Candace asked in her thoughts as she helped Jeremy tend to his wound. _"Where have I heard that name before?"_

"Yes, Phineas?" Doofenshmirtz asked, a nearly unnoticeable tint of fear in his voice.

"I've got a little surprise for you in my backyard," replied Phineas. "Use the transporter device I built for you and come to 2308 Maple Drive. Take some Doof Clones and Coition-Inators while you're at it, too."

"Sure thing, kiddo! Give me a sec."

Doofenshmirtz hung up on him, and Phineas put his cell phone back in his pocket. He then stared at the others, smiling.

"Prepare yourselves, everyone!" he announced. "For you've met the new me, and now you shall witness my ascendancy into power as I conquer the world and enslave everyone you know! AHAHAHAHAHA!"

_"Has he gone nuts?"_ thought Ferb.

"But while we wait for a minute, will Django Brown step forward, please?"

Django fearfully stepped out of the crowd and prepared himself to get zapped by the stun gun, only for Phineas to approach him, smile a friendly smile, and ruffle his hair.

"You know, Django," he said, "I should thank you the most. First, you help me gain my new personality, and now, you help give me access to weapons I can use to enforce my dominion over the world! You're quite a smart kid. Maybe you should join my side, and I'll give you everything you want!"

Django replied, "I don't know what happened to you, Phineas, but I don't like the new you, and I'm gonna have to say 'no' to that."

Phineas frowned and struck Django across the face with his gun, causing him to fall to the floor. Adyson Sweetwater ran towards him in concern, and both looked up at Phineas as he towered over them.

"Okay, so you say 'no' to that," Phineas said, "but I can probably help you change your mind."

Suddenly, Doofenshmirtz suddenly appeared in the backyard, followed by many Doof Clones, all of which were holding Coition-Inators. Candace gasped, as she recognized Doofenshmirtz as the man whom she sold cupcakes to during her brief stint as a Fireside Girl.

"Alright, kiddo," said Doofenshmirtz, "what is it you want me to-"

However, Doofenshmirtz already saw all of the inventions, every one of them proudly standing in the backyard.

"Wow! You made all of _that_?"

"Unofficially," replied Phineas. "I built all of these in the past, but they all disappeared for some mysterious reason. These kids here-" He pointed at Ferb and the rest of the children. "-replicated the designs so then can so-called _cheer me up_. Turns out, they just handed over more weapons to us!"

Doofenshmirtz looked skeptical. "I honestly don't see how these things can be weapons of mass destruction."

"They may not look like that, but once I modify them like I did to your Inators, then they will be soon!"

"I guess that's a good idea."

"You _guess_?"

Doofenshmirtz knew that he said the wrong words and quickly exclaimed, "I mean, that's a good idea!"

"Good. Now, order your clones to imprison these kids, every one of them. Who knows what other information they have that can prove to be useful! And once we're done with them, we can hit them with the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator and turn them into more troops!"

"Sure thing." The evil scientist then turned to the Doof Clones. "Mes, imprison those kids!"

"Yes, me!" the Doof Clones replied faithfully as they aimed the Coition-Inators at Ferb, Candace, Jeremy, Stacy, Coltrane, Django, and the other children.

However, before the Coition-Inators can be fired, three blurs, one colored brown, another colored gray, and the third colored teal, came out of nowhere and brought down the Doof Clones within minutes. It was Perry the Platypus, Fred the Fox, and Randy the Raccoon.

"YOU!" Phineas roared at the three agents. "DOOF CLONES, GET THEM!"

The Doof Clones sprung into action, firing their Coition-Inators, but the three agents dodged every one of the pure evil bubbles and landed hard on the clones' faces, downing them again one by one. A rumbling was then heard, and a bus with the initials 'O.W.C.A.' suddenly crashed through the fence, showering everyone with splinters of wood. The bus swerved to a stop and fired lasers at the inventions, decreasing their size. The bus then used a magnet to acquire the miniaturized inventions, and the head of Carl poked out of the driver's window.

"EVERYONE!" he called to the children. "GET IN, NOW!"

"Carl?" Ferb asked in wonder, recognizing the intern as the same boy that helped test out his and Phineas's Anti-Gravity Fun Launcher.

"JUST GET IN!" Carl yelled.

Ferb knew that everyone needed to escape, so he led everyone, including the agents, inside the bus, with the Doof Clones in pursuit. Before the army of clones can reach the bus, however, Carl immediately switched the bus to reverse and immediately backed out into the street. Then switching the bus to drive, the intern sped down Maple Drive before the Doof Clones can reach them again. Once the bus was at a safe distance, Carl looked at the rearview mirror.

"Is everyone okay?" he asked.

"My boyfriend's been stabbed!" cried Candace despairingly. "By my own little brother!"

"There's a first-aid kit in the pocket of my seat," Carl replied, pointing at the pocket. Candace acquired it, opened it, and began tending to Jeremy's wound. Ferb, on the other hand, approached Carl.

"Carl," said Ferb, "what just happened? What's happening right now? And why is Perry wearing a hat?"

Carl sighed before announcing to everyone, "I'm not sure. But everyone, I work for a secret organization called the Organization Without a Cool Acronym, which specializes in training animals in fighting evil. Animals like Perry, Ferb."

Everyone's eyes widened. "Perry's a secret agent?" asked Baljeet in shock.

"I guess that explains why he keeps disappearing every day," Buford noted, rubbing the spot where Phineas stunned him.

"Yes, Perry's a secret agent," replied Carl. "You guys actually found out Perry's secret weeks ago, but we erased your memory by the end of the day. But now, it looks like you deserve to know again."

Ferb turned to Perry. "So you've been living a double life this whole time, and you never told me or Phineas?" he asked. Perry nodded in response.

"Don't blame Perry, Ferb," said Carl. "He didn't tell you because it was the best for your safety. Every agent mustn't tell their host family of their secret, otherwise it'll endanger them and said agent must be transferred to another town with another host family."

"Wait," Candace said as she patched up Jeremy's wound, "so if we now know of Perry's secret, doesn't that mean he's gonna be sent away?"

"Yes, yes it does, but it doesn't matter right now. Phineas and Doofenshmirtz have abducted most of the O.W.C.A. personnel here. In fact, me, Perry, Fred the Fox, and Randy the Raccoon are the only ones who managed to escape."

For the first time in several years, Ferb's face became masked with emotion. "Why?" he exclaimed, nearly startling Carl. "Why is Phineas _doing_ this? How did we wrong him?"

"I don't know, Ferb. Something happened to Phineas, and I'm pretty sure no one was involved."

"I was."

Everyone looked at Django, who was wearing a face of terrible guilt. "What do you mean, Django?" asked Ferb.

"I bumped into him while going to the meeting you and Isabella hosted, Ferb," replied Django. "Literally. Anyway, he was asking where Isabella was, and when you called me on the phone, you told me to not tell him of the meeting. So, I lied to him, and told him that Isabella would be at the park. And..." Django's eyes welled up with tears. "And that was the last I saw of him b-be-before..."

Adyson put her hand on his shoulder. "Don't blame yourself, Django," she said soothingly. "You never saw it coming. It's not your fault."

"Actually," Buford said accusingly, "it _is_ Django's fault! Something happened at that park, and it got Dinner Bell all wacky! If Django didn't send him to that park, maybe he wouldn't have been affected by whatever happened, and he wouldn't have shot me in the shoulder and all that other crud!"

"Yeah!" agreed a boy. "And what's worse, Phineas wants to use the inventions we made to take over the planet! The inventions _Django_ suggested we make for _him_! It's a good thing we still have the inventions!"

The other children nodded to one another in agreement, and the children, led by Buford, began rounding up on Django when Perry, Fred, and Randy stood in the way. Carl spoke for the agents.

"Guys, this is no time to decide who's to blame! For now, we have to get out of here!"

"Yeah?" asked Buford. "Where are we gonna hide?"

"I know a place."

Suddenly, Gretchen gasped, and everyone looked at her.

"What?" asked Ferb.

"I told Isabella that Phineas was at the meeting," the Fireside Girl replied. "She said that she would be coming back at the house to see Phineas!"

Everyone looked at Carl in worry, and he replied, "I'm sorry, everyone, but we can't go back for her. It's too dangerous!"

"But Isabella's our friend!" Milly cried.

"I'm sure Phineas will spare her. For now, we have to go into hiding so we can find a solution to all of this!"

Everyone sighed; there was no convincing this intern. Ferb, Candace, and Perry looked out of the rear window, as Maple Drive disappeared from view. They began to worry about Isabella, and wondered what troubles lay ahead of her.

* * *

Isabella walked towards 2308 Maple Drive, nervous. She didn't know how Phineas would act towards her presence, as she unintentionally offended him, but she knew that she needed to apologize and throw aside what happened yesterday under the backyard tree. And she also hoped that the inventions Ferb and the kids made would cheer Phineas up, making her job of apologizing easier.

But when she saw 2308 Maple Drive, she saw no gargantuan, draped object that suggested a sign of at least the rollercoaster. Wondering what happened, Isabella ran towards the backyard gate, only to find it demolished. Silently walking through the wreckage, she heard Phineas talking to someone, but she couldn't identify the other voice, which sounded German.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY GOT AWAY!" yelled Phineas.

"Calm down, kiddo, I'm sure we'll find a way to get those inventions back."

"Well, we have to do it fast, otherwise my plans of world domination will be of waste!"

Isabella gasped at Phineas's latest sentence; a megalomaniacal Phineas was pretty hard to imagine, and she never expected something like that to occur.

"I don't know why you need those," said the other voice. "We've already got my Inators, the O.W.C.A., and L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. on our side!"

"They might use those inventions to retaliate, Doofenshmirtz! What do ya think now?"

"Okay, okay, so letting those inventions go was a bad idea. Don't worry, I managed to toss a Platypus Track-Inator onto that bus, so we can track its movements!"

"Excellent. Now, activate it, Doofenshmirtz! We need to get those inventions back!"

"Oh, I left the activation device back at DEI."

"YOU IDIOT!"

Isabella let out a short gasp; Phineas sounded really angry, much angrier than he was yesterday. Taking a step back, she felt her back bump into something and looked up into the face of a Doof Clone.

"Going somewhere?"

Isabella was about to scream when the clone covered her mouth and pushed her into the backyard, in the sights of Phineas, Doofenshmirtz, and the other Doof Clones.

"Well, well, well," Phineas said, smiling, "Isabella Garcia-Shapiro. How nice of you to join us!"

Isabella stood up and faced her crush and noticed his green eyes. Straightening up, she cried, "Phineas! What are you doing?"

"Planning on how to conquer the world, what else?" Phineas replied. He then snapped his fingers, and two Doof Clones seized her while a third placed duct tape over her mouth.

"All right, everyone," announced Phineas, "we're going back at DEI, and we'll be taking _her_-" He pointed at Isabella. "-with us. I'm sure those escapees will make a nice exchange of the inventions."

"Phineas? What's going on?"

Everyone looked at the door into the house; standing there was Linda and Lawrence. Apparently, they had arrived home to no one's knowledge. Isabella tried speaking to them, but the duct tape prevented her from yelling out.

"What's going on?" asked Linda again. She then spotted Doofenshmirtz and recognized him. "_Heinz_? _Heinz Doofenshmirtz_?"

"_Linda Flynn_?" Doofenshmirtz asked in shock. Phineas looked at him.

"You know her?" he asked.

"We dated once," replied Linda and Doofenshmirtz simultaneously.

"Well," said Phineas, "I'm betting this is a lovely reunion for the two of you." He then turned to several Doof Clones and pointed to Linda and Lawrence. "Seize them too."

"What?" Lawrence asked in shock, but it was too late; several Doof Clones have seized the Flynn-Fletcher parents.

"PHINEAS!" exclaimed Linda. "PHINEAS ALBERT FLYNN, LET GO OF YOUR MOTHER THIS INSTANT!"

Phineas pointed his stun gun at her as Doofenshmirtz watched on with regret.

"I'm done following orders from you, _Linda Flynn_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like how I wrote the scene on the bus where Ferb, Candace, and all the other kids learn (or more like relearn) Perry's secret identity as an O.W.C.A. agent. I feel like that's how the show would treat the topic if the kids were faced with a great threat that required joining forces with Perry. I feel quite proud of myself, seeing my writing chops in action there.
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this re-posted chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	11. Difficult Compromises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ferb, Candace, and Isabella all muse about what happened yesterday during a quiet morning, while a certain event causes Doofenshmirtz to start regretting his decision in hiring Phineas to DEI.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took a while to get out. For those of you who are unaware, we're going to see longer and longer chapters as we go along, starting from here on out. Now, most of what I do is just add these new Author's Notes, respond to the new reviews, and remove unnecessary code that came along with the salvaged original material, so one would think it doesn't take that long to re-release these chapters. Yes, it doesn't. But at this point, I'm so preoccupied with school and figuring out how to juggle my other ongoing fics, as well as potential fics, that it's impossible for me to update every five or so days like I've originally been doing. For now, you're probably going to get weekly updates.
> 
> Also, I forgot to mention my 24th birthday was a couple of months ago in 2019! It was fun.
> 
> Okay, I'm done rambling! On with the chapter. ENJOY!

Ferb opened his eyes and stared at the cracked ceiling of his bedroom. Ignoring the poor quality of his surroundings, the British boy stood up from his bed and walked into the bathroom. Picking up a toothbrush he personally made, Ferb began brushing his teeth and looked at the empty space beside him through the grimy and cracked mirror, as if he was expecting Phineas to be there, brushing his teeth alongside him.

But he wasn't. There was no one to occupy that space, other than a large crack on the mirror.

After washing his mouth, Ferb looked at the bed in which Perry slept on. Every morning, he woke up to seeing the platypus sleeping on Phineas, but this time, Perry was only sleeping on a bed, and it was an odd and saddening sight. Sitting on the bed, Ferb gently removed the locket he and Phineas gave Perry when they first bought him from the pet shelter. Opening it, Ferb stared into the pictures of himself, Phineas, and Perry five years younger, and those pictures stared back at him with eyes that seemed alive as they gleamed with innocence.

Ferb found peace and solace as he stared into the pictures. Remembering the simpler, more peaceful times where he and his American-born stepbrother had their inventing capabilities limited to only fixing and slightly modifying Candace's dolls, Ferb smiled for the first time of the day. Only seconded by the time they first built the rollercoaster and began an unforgettable summer, their lives as a five-year-old and six-year-old respectively have been forever carved into both his mind and his heart. He never talked about why those years were so important to him, but the answer was always there, within him. For he had been this old when he first met Phineas and Candace.

Life prior to that fateful meeting had been really hard for Ferb, and it had long rendered him incapable of talking unless he really needed to, explaining his status as a 'man-of-action'. No, wait. 'Hard' wasn't the perfect word that summed up the first five years of his life. Ferb better described those years as a _nightmare_. Yes, 'nightmare' was the perfect word. And even after Lawrence angelically signed his and Ferb's way out, the British boy still found life hard on him. It was ironically, really, for the had realized that it all still remained difficult because even though he despised that part of his childhood from the very start, he had become dependent on it, like it was ruthlessly and stubbornly latched onto the whole of his life like a bloodthirsty leech. Even his first few months in the U.S. didn't change a thing.

That is, until Lawrence met Linda for the first time.

When the two adults went out on their fourth date, Lawrence had been unable to find a proper babysitter for Ferb, so Linda agreed that the babysitter she hired for Phineas and Candace would also take on the duty of babysitting the British boy as well. And when Lawrence first told him that he was going out with another woman, Ferb initially disliked the idea for reasons he didn't want to return to. But when he first arrived at the Flynn house, when he first laid his eyes on Phineas and Candace, he knew from their smiles and their bright, eager eyes that this new life might be better after all. And the more he spent time with the two Flynn children, the more hateful he became towards fate for not giving him this life the very moment he was born. When the moment came when both Linda and Lawrence announced that they would be getting married, the announcement sounded like harmonious music to Ferb's ears. And upon the moment he first stepped inside the Flynn house after the marriage, he hugged Phineas and Candace, finally letting go of his past and accepting his new life with his new stepsiblings.

His life had been happy for five years, and he was sure that with this perfect life, nothing could happen that'd shatter it.

He was proven wrong yesterday. And now, it hurt so much.

* * *

Candace opened her eyes and stared straight into the face of Jeremy, who was snoring lightly. Smiling, she kissed him on the lip, causing him to stir briefly but go back to sleep. Realizing that Jeremy wasn't wearing a shirt, the teenager decided to take the time to admire her boyfriend's well-built body, even tracing her hand over his chest, before finding the reason that he wasn't wearing a shirt. There was several bandages were wrapped around his stomach area; there was a light-red stain on the bandages, at the left of his stomach. Candace's lower lip trembled and remembered why Jeremy was wearing those bandages.

He had been stabbed yesterday. By the last person she'd expect: her own brother, Phineas.

Remembering the glint of the kitchen knife before it sunk itself into Jeremy's stomach, the sadistic smile Phineas was wearing when he committed the heinous act, Candace sat up on the bed and buried her face in her hands with shock. She was glad that Jeremy survived; if it weren't for the first-aid kit in the bus and Coltrane's experience on surgery loaned over from his father, he would've died from at least internal bleeding. But she was still worried. Not for Jeremy, but for his attacker, her younger brother.

The memory of the scene was so shocking and so disturbing that it haunted Candace's dreams last night. She was fortunate she ended the night with a dream about Ducky Momo. But even while she was awake, Candace continued to remember the event like it happened minutes ago. She just never saw any of it coming, just as much as she would never see the Mysterious Force coming when it would always make Phineas and Ferb's inventions disappear from the backyard. And now, as much as she hated to admit it, she has now developed a concern for her brother, a concern that has been her strongest, much stronger than the time she first saw her brothers build the rollercoaster in the backyard during that unforgettable first day of summer.

She didn't know why Phineas was doing this. Could it be because of the death of their biological father? It seemed like the most probable reason, as Phineas was always at his most fragile emotion-wise during this time of the year. However, she remembered the family dinner that happened two days ago, during Phillip's birthday/anniversary of his death, and Phineas was certainly joyful during that time, quite a sudden, strange transition from his previous downcast mood. And when he lied to their mother about Isabella insulting Phillip, he sounded calm, almost nonchalant, when he would usually sound exasperated at this fact.

Did Isabella probably say something else that offended him? She didn't really know that for sure, as she only heard the conversation from Ferb's mouth. However, it was always possible. If this was true, Candace was pretty sure the Flynn-Fletcher family's neighbor really didn't mean those words, as she always meant well every time and wanted to cheer Phineas, her crush, up. Speaking of Isabella, Candace began to worry about the girl, now that she was most likely in the clutches of Phineas and that Doofenshmirtz guy by now.

She also began to remember her parents, who were still at the antique convention by the time the group was rescued by Carl, Perry, Fred, and Randy. By now, they're either being interrogated by news crews who have responded to the scene of what they should believe to be a mass abduction, or they have also been captured. Candace couldn't help but wish that the latter choice were actually true, so that way, Phineas can finally be busted for all of the things he did during the summer.

_"Oh,_ come on_!"_ Phineas's evil voice echoed in her mind. _"Do you honestly want to hand over your loved one's life in exchange for seeing your little brothers get in the biggest of troubles? How _stupid _are you, girl?"_

The sentence was replayed in the teenager's mind over and over again. Candace slapped her forehead in disbelief of herself: she honestly _wanted_ her parents to be captured so then Phineas can be busted! And the time in the backyard, where Phineas threatened to slit Jeremy's throat, Candace's primary thought was _"KEEP THE PHONE!" _and not _"Give the phone to Phineas and get Jeremy back!"_ Candace realized that Phineas was right; she was stupid. Maybe if she weren't as concerned for busting her brothers, maybe she would've seen Phineas's green eyes faster, and Jeremy and Stacy wouldn't probably be feeling the pain they were feeling right now.

Now, as she stared at Jeremy, Candace became determined to toss away the personality that became a part of her in exchange for the saving of her brother.

* * *

Isabella opened her eyes and looked into the dim light emanating from the single grimy lamp suspending from the ceiling of her cell. Looking at the sleeping, chained figures of Linda Flynn and Lawrence Fletcher, she then glanced at the only door that led out of the cell. She knew that outside, her own dog Pinky was guarding it as he stood on two feet. She was still shocked to find out that he was once a secret agent dedicated to fighting evil, thus explaining why he kept disappearing as much as Perry, whom she believed might be a secret agent as well. And if that wasn't enough, there was a pair of cameras located on each side of the cell, recording every movement of the prisoners.

Lifting her hands up to examine the chains that locked her hands together, Isabella tried to see if they were fragile so that she could break them. However, the chains didn't boldly display any sign of rusting or cheapness, so she put her hands back down on the floor in sadness and distress. Looking up at one of the cameras that watched her and the Flynn-Fletcher parents, Isabella wished she could jump up at it so she can grab the device and smash it to bits in order to express her utmost fury at the new Phineas. But she was still too short, and the camera was way out of anyone's reach, and the ten-year-old girl groaned to herself.

Isabella then began wondering about help. By now, her poor mother should have discovered that she was not coming home, and that the police have already been alerted. However, she doubted that help would come, especially if she was held in a place called Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated. After all, she saw the company's tagline: 'Committing acts of evil and naughtiness since 1995'. If the place has been up for twelve years without any apparent police interference, then the chances of the police suspecting the company was extremely low. And if the police did indeed find her, then she had a feeling that it wouldn't make a difference, due to Phineas and his array of advanced weapons and allies that stood in their way.

The next thing Isabella began to wonder was the possibility of Phineas changing his personality because of the things he believed she was saying to her during his biological father's birthday. Now, she wished more than ever that she can apologize to Phineas, in hopes that he might change his mind and let her, Linda, and Lawrence go. However, she knew that he will get into loads of trouble, since he abducted his own parents, pointed a gun at his own mother, and was defiant towards her. But she knew of the greater good and what it truly was, and this was the greater good, even if it meant seeing her crush probably getting arrested. But then, she realized that apologizing might not do anyone well, as Phineas undoubtedly seemed to have snapped completely and was at a point at where he was completely dedicated to what goals he had formulated for himself and will only set his sights on accomplishing said goals.

Isabella's eyes welled up with tears as she remembered the Phineas she met last evening, the one that maliciously ordered her imprisonment. Of all the things she couldn't believe, she obviously couldn't believe that Phineas would actually pull off such acts. She remembered the fact that when she first met Phineas, his optimism was responsible for her developing her trademark crush on him. But now that this Phineas, the one she first fell in love with, is now gone, it tore apart her fearless, quick-thinking spirit like a paper shredder tearing away at useless paper. No longer able to control her crying, Isabella buried her face in her hands so Linda or Lawrence can't hear her crying, and began to sob as she felt both sadness and rage. Her sobbing was amplified when she remembered something Phineas said to her that she considered was close enough to him admitting his feelings for her, a sentence that she found inspiring and would always remember during the hardest of times.

_"Isabella, you're the best!"_

But the sentence no longer inspired her at all.

* * *

Phineas opened his eyes and stared at the tiled, well-cleaned ceiling of Doofenshmirtz's guest bedroom. Sitting up on his bed and looking at the clock, which read 6:27 A.M., the ten-year-old began to think about yesterday afternoon.

He, Doofenshmirtz, and the Doof Clones had returned to DEI to imprison Isabella, Linda, and Lawrence before activating the tracking device Doofenshmirtz managed to place on the O.W.C.A. bus that made its getaway with the inventions Phineas planned to add to his already-vast army. The evil scientist picked up the contraption and pressed a button. This was right before everyone saw the label 'Self-Destruct Button' proudly stamped on the device. And now, they officially lost the bus. Not only that, but the bus might've exploded with the self-destruct mechanism, taking the kids, the O.W.C.A. agents, and all of the inventions with it.

Standing up and walking towards the door, Phineas opened it and stepped into the main room, Doofenshmirtz's laboratory, where Doofenshmirtz appeared to be working on something. The villain spotted Phineas and greeted him.

"Hey, kiddo, you're awake!" He then made a gesture towards his newest invention. "Behold, my Bus-Retriever-Inator!"

"Let me guess," replied Phineas grumpily, "this thing attracts buses to the DEI building, am I correct?"

"Yes, including that O.W.C.A. bus that snatched those kids and those inventions away from us!"

"Uh huh." Phineas looked at the newest Inator and saw the self-destruct button planted on its side. Frowning, the boy pointed at it, and Doofenshmirtz followed the direction the finger was pointing at before realizing what Phineas meant.

"Oh, that's right!" Doofenshmirtz said. "Putting on a self-destruct button weakens their power! My, I should remember what you advise to me. Don't worry, kiddo, I'll remove that thing."

However, before he can do so, Phineas immediately ran forward and angrily pressed the button. The two then watched as the Inator blew up, spraying them with a cloud of dust. Coughing, Doofenshmirtz turned to Phineas.

"What was that for?" exclaimed Doofenshmirtz. "I was gonna retrieve that bus and get those kids and those inventions!"

Phineas stared at his clumsy comrade with his green eyes. "Yeah, well you've just wasted your time, for you have obviously forgotten that the darn bus might've been destroyed already!"

"And what do you mean by that?"

"Don't you remember that self-destruct button you pushed for the Platypus-Tracker-Inator? Remember _that_ little doozy? Not only did the tracking device blow itself up, but the explosion might've also destroyed the entire bus, and those inventions, as a result! Now what do ya think of THAT?"

"Well," replied Doofenshmirtz wearily, "you never know. That device was so small, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to fit in enough boom juice into something that small."

"_I_..._DON'T_..._CARE_!" screeched Phineas, startling the scientist and causing him to flinch. "WHAT'S IMPORTANT IS THAT WE LOST THE BUS AND THOSE INVENTIONS! NOW THAT THOSE KIDS KNOW WHAT WE'RE UP TO, THEY'RE GONNA USE THEM TO FIGHT BACK, AND THEY'RE GONNA _WIN_, LIKE PERRY ALWAYS WINS IN BATTLES AGAINST _YOU_! DO YOU WANNA STRUGGLE IN THE HOPELESS GRASP OF DEFEAT _AGAIN_? HUH? DO YA?"

Doofenshmirtz thought about it for a moment. On one hand, having to be defeated again didn't sound like an option the scientist wanted to take. However, with Phineas being too evil for his taste, he can't help but feel himself inch slowly towards that first decision.

Finally, Doofenshmirtz replied meekly, "No."

"That's what I wanted to hear," said Phineas angrily. "Now-"

However, Phineas was interrupted by the doorbell ringing.

"I'll answer that!" replied Norm optimistically. Before Doofenshmirtz can say anything, Norm broke the doorknob again.

"OH, NORM!" Doofenshmirtz cried in frustration before taking out his Door-Opener-Inator from his coat pocket and firing it at the door, causing it to swing open and reveal the members of L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N.

"Hello, Phineas, Doofenshmirtz," greeted Rodney. "Did Norm break that doorknob again?"

"SHUT UP, RODNEY!"

"For the last time, it's not Rodney! It's Aloyse Everheart El-"

"Enough of this!" cried Phineas, silencing Rodney. "Come in, everyone, and now! We've got a meeting to attend to."

The nine scientists immediately obeyed; Doofenshmirtz noticed that they obeyed Phineas much faster than they would obey him. However, he understood the reason why, and he just joined them at the oblong table a pair of Doof Clones had prepared for the occasion hours prior.

"Alright," said Croachaye, "so what's the plan?"

"First thing's first," Phineas replied, "I've decided after a while that the name of this organization needs to be changed."

"WHAT?" exclaimed Doofenshmirtz. "Why are you changing the name? And without my permission?"

Phineas's tone was cold. "And why must I ask for permission from you, Doofenshmirtz?"

"Because I founded L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N.," the evil scientist replied meekly.

Phineas's eyes turned into slits. He then faced the other L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. members.

"He founded this organization?" he asked simply, and the scientists all nodded in response.

"Well, I now understand why you guys have been experiencing failures from the start."

Doofenshmirtz realized what Phineas meant by that statement. "HEY!"

Phineas ignored him and continued, "Anyway, if you're gonna conquer the Tri-State Area, you need the citizens to be _afraid_ of you, _intimidated_ by you! And the best way for them to do so is that they remember your name! And do you really think anyone's gonna look at the name L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. and feel afraid and intimidated?"

The scientists all looked at one another. Finally, Bloodpudding shook his head warily, as if he might be saying the wrong answer and he was fearful of doing so.

However, his fears were alleviated when Phineas replied, "Yes, that's right."

"But why don't we just call ourselves the League of Villainous Evildoers Maniacally United For Frightening Investments in Naughtiness?" asked Blair. "That's what L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. stands for, after all."

"Honestly, do you expect anyone to be intimidated by a name that's too long for them to remember?"

"I... I suppose not..."

"I thought so. Anyway, that is why, after a night of careful thinking, I've decided to rename L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. into the Red Triangle! I chose this name because it sounds mysterious yet intimidating, and organizations that have mysterious names are feared by many! Who's with me on this notion?"

Everyone immediately raised their hands, and Phineas shrugged off the fact that they just did so because they were afraid of him. "Excellent," he replied. "Now, as you know, we have Doofenshmirtz's Inators and the O.W.C.A. at our side. However, that isn't enough to conquer the world, let alone the Tri-State Area, which is why I am asking you all to go back to your lairs and retrieve all of the inventions you've made this summer and bring them back here! Also, if any of you know of any source of power that can be useful, do tell me right now, so we can kick the power of all your inventions up a notch."

"Well," replied Doofenshmirtz, "there _is_ a canister of Pizzazium Infinionite that is an item of purchase at the Superduper Mega Superstore. I had my daughter steal it for me once, but that accursed Perry the Platypus thwarted me before I can walk out of the store."

"Are you sure this Pizzazium Infinionite hasn't been bought yet?" Phineas asked.

"No, I see it in the same place at the same store every time I go there."

Phineas frowned. "And yet, you _never_ bothered to try and steal it again?"

"Hm, now that you put it that way, I guess I should've seized that chance while I had it."

"Well, here's your chance now! Go and get it, Doofenshmirtz! As for the rest of you-" Phineas pointed at the other members of L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N., now Red Triangle. "-go and get all of your inventions you made during the summer and bring them back here, like I instructed! GO, GO, GO!"

"Yes, sir!" everyone but Doofenshmirtz replied, and the ten scientists were about to rush out of the door when two people stepped into the still-open doorway, stopping them.

"Charlene?" Doofenshmirtz asked in shock. "Vanessa?"

"Heinz?" replied Charlene. "What're you doing?"

"Oh, um, uh... um-"

"I _told_ you, Mom!" Vanessa cried. "Dad's evil! That's what I've been trying to tell you all this time!"

"Vanessa, honey, just because your dad and his friends are rushing out of the room doesn't mean your dad's evil. Anyway Heinz, I've just come to tell you that I'm actually gonna be staying at that cooking class longer than I thought, so Vanessa's gonna be staying with you for the day."

"Oh, well that's great, Charlene, but-" Doofenshmirtz began, but he was cut off by Phineas, who shoved his way through the other scientists.

"Okay, what's with the holdup, every-" Phineas stopped in mid-sentence when he saw Vanessa and Charlene. Vanessa and Phineas recognized each other immediately.

"Phineas?" asked Vanessa in shock. Doofenshmirtz looked from Vanessa to Phineas.

"You know her, kiddo?" Doofenshmirtz asked.

"Yes, we met during the Summer Solstice," replied Phineas. "She specifically knows my stepbrother Ferb."

"Wait a minute, Summer Solstice?" Doofenshmirtz looked at Vanessa. "That's when you were kidnapped at Tokyo!"

"You were _kidnapped_ at Tokyo, Vanessa?" asked Charlene, looking at her teenage daughter.

"No, Mom, Dad," replied Vanessa. "I intentionally hitched a ride with Phineas and Ferb to Paris, since they were already on their way there. Don't worry, we're friends."

"You mean, we _were_ friends," Phineas said.

Vanessa looked at him. "Excuse me?"

Phineas smiled and snapped his fingers. "Seize the both of them."

"Wait, what?" cried Doofenshmirtz as Sharpeard and Bulkare walked forward and grabbed Charlene, while Rodney and Croachaye seized Vanessa, who gasped and looked at Phineas, shocked that he was calling the shots.

"Heinz?" Charlene asked, shocked at what was going on. "What's going on here?"

"Charlene, I have a confession to make. Remember all those times you told me that Vanessa kept telling you that I'm evil?"

"Yes?"

"Well, she's right. I _am_ an evil scientist out to take over the Tri-State Area."

"WHAT?"

"See!" cried Vanessa as she struggled hopelessly against her captors. "I told you, Mom! Dad _is_ evil! I've been right all along!"

Charlene ignored her daughter and just stared on at her ex-husband. "Heinz?"

"It's the truth, Charlene."

Phineas scoffed and said, "Yeah, yeah, how touching. Now guys, take them to the cell. _Then_ you go get your inventions. Doofenshmirtz, take Norm and go get the Pizzazium Infinionite."

However, Doofenshmirtz ignored Phineas and looked at Vanessa and Charlene as they looked back at him while being escorted to the cell.

"Heinz..." Charlene said softly.

"Dad..." said Vanessa softly.

Doofenshmirtz didn't know what to do. The only two members of his family that he truly loved were being imprisoned, thanks to his profession in evil, and he found himself wanting to help them, breaking the classic villain formula. However, his feet cowardly glued themselves to the spot, and finally, the words he spoke escaped, almost in a whisper to himself.

"I'm sorry."

Vanessa and Charlene gasped as they realized that Doofenshmirtz wasn't going to help them. Phineas looked from the evil scientist to the woman and her daughter before throwing his head back and cackling malevolently.

"OH, MAN!" he exclaimed. "NOW _THAT'S_ PURE EVIL, DOOFENSHMIRTZ! YOU DON'T HELP OUT YOUR FAMILY! AHAHAHAHAHA! IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE FINALLY COMING TO YOUR SENSES AND BECOMING THE TRUE VILLAIN THAT WAS INSIDE YOU ALL ALONG! IT MUST FEEL GOOD, DOESN'T IT?"

Doofenshmirtz didn't reply, but Phineas just cackled on. The scientist watched with dismay as Vanessa and Charlene looked back at him, the jaws of the darkness emanating from inside the cell nearing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, well, well, it seems like things are starting to ramp up even more in this chapter! Doofenshmirtz's true evil is finally revealed to Charlene, while he has finally realized the consequences of fully committing himself to true evil like he had declared. Be careful what you wish for, Doofenshmirtz!
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this re-posted chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	12. The Googolplex Mall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Doofenshmirtz goes to the Googolplex Mall after finding out the Pizzazium Infinionite canister has been moved there. Meanwhile, at the Googolplex Mall, Isabella's mother holds a meeting with the parents of the missing children.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ack, this chapter took even LONGER to get out. Sorry about the wait, you guys. I had an important presentation to make at school, and since I'm not good with public speaking, I had to take some time off to prepare my nerves. But now that it's over with, I can get back to this story! HOORAY! :D
> 
> Alright, enough rambling! On with the chapter. ENJOY!
> 
> P.S.: Happy Leap Day, everyone! Honestly, I always forget that it's a thing until the last minute. That's what happens when a momentous occasion such as this happens only every four years.
> 
> P.P.S.: Speaking of Leap Day, this reminded me of an old fanfic I read back when I was at the height of my "Phineas and Ferb" craze. It's called "Leap Day" by Boolia. I recommend you guys check it out. It's on FanFiction.Net. It's so accurate to the show's formula despite the original content that I can't even...

Doofenshmirtz watched as the mighty structure of the Superduper Mega Superstore came into the view of Norm's windshield. However, he didn't bother to notice, for he was lost in thought. Still remembering the looks on Vanessa and Charlene's faces when Phineas ordered their imprisonment, when he refused to help them, the evil scientist now felt a bit reluctant to continue his mission. However, he didn't want to anger Phineas, for such an occurrence always frightened him, so Doofenshmirtz continued to allow Norm to drive forward.

After Norm parked himself alongside in an empty space in the store's parking lot, Doofenshmirtz stepped out of his robot and ordered, "Now, Norm, stay in your car mode. Absolutely do _not_ make a scene!"

"Yes, sir," Norm replied optimistically.

Doofenshmirtz then walked towards the Superduper Mega Superstore, and as he did, he became immersed in his thoughts again. He still couldn't believe that true evil actually hurts: letting Vanessa and Charlene, the only members of the Doofenshmirtz family that actually _cared_ for him (aside from his brother Roger, though he didn't want to count him), being imprisoned was such a difficult decision. And then he remembered Linda Flynn also being imprisoned by her own son. Even though the two dated for only one day, Doofenshmirtz still held some care towards her, and it pained him to see her to also get captured without his interference. Then remembering the time when he first declared that he will become evil, Doofenshmirtz began to wonder if he had been really sincere when he made said declaration, because his experience with true evil was starting to scar him emotionally instead of fortifying him.

Entering the store, Doofenshmirtz pulled himself back into reality and began searching for the canister he promised to give to Phineas. However, after hours of fruitful searching, his quest gained no success, and after browsing the last aisle, the villain approached an employee, scratching his head.

"Hey, excuse me!" said Doofenshmirtz to the employee, who turned at him.

"Hello, how can I help you?" the employee asked, smiling warmly.

"Well, I'm looking for a canister that contains Pizzazium Infinionite. I've searched everywhere for it, and yet, I can't seem to find it anywhere. Do you know what happened to it?"

"Pizzazium Infinionite?" The employee shrugged in response. "I'm sorry, but you're gonna have to ask the manager. I've been working here for three days, and I've never heard of a canister of Pizzazium Infinionite being an item of purchase here."

"Okay, well thanks!"

"You're welcome! And be sure to come back to the Superduper Mega Superstore again!"

Doofenshmirtz's tone was sarcastic, but the employee didn't notice it. "Yeah, sure I will."

* * *

_Two-and-a-half hours later..._

Doofenshmirtz sat on the wooden bench standing next to the door into the office of the Superduper Mega Superstore's manager. Tapping his foot impatiently, the scientist looked at his watch and realized that he had been waiting for two hours. Another thirty minutes and he would definitely be behind that schedule Phineas gave him. Taking out his cell phone from his coat pocket, Doofenshmirtz dialed the DEI number and put the device to his ear.

Finally, a voice asked, "Hello?"

"Hi, Sharpeard!" greeted Doofenshmirtz. "May I speak to Phineas, please?"

"I'm sorry, he's busy at the moment," Sharpeard replied. "May I send a message to him?"

"Yeah. Well, I'm still at the Superduper Mega Superstore, and I can't find the canister of Pizzazium Infinionite anywhere, so I'm asking the manager about it. There's currently a holdup inside his office, however, so I might be late."

Doofenshmirtz heard Sharpeard gulp before replying, "Oh, uh, y-ye-yeah. I'll b-be sure to t-tell h-him. See ya back at DEI, D-Doofenshmirtz."

"See ya, Sharpeard!"

Doofenshmirtz then hung up, just as the door to the manager's office opened and a stocky man emerged from the doorway.

"Hi," the manager said, "Mitchell Horner, Jr., manager of the Superduper Mega Superstore. I was told you wanted to speak to me?"

"Yeah, um, is there a canister containing Pizzazium Infinionite that is still an item of purchase here? I need it for, uh, an electrical outage, and my penthouse has its own power generator."

"Oh, Pizzazium Infinionite!" replied Mitchell, clapping his hands together businesslike. "Well, it was moved to the Danville Googolplex Mall because someone attempted to steal it weeks ago, and we felt that it was safe to move it to another location."

Doofenshmirtz giggled nervously, remembering that it was he who attempted to steal the canister along with Vanessa.

"Well, thanks!"

"You're welcome, sir, and please be sure to come back to the Superduper Mega Superstore again!"

Once again, Doofenshmirtz spoke in an unnoticeable sarcastic tone, "Yeah, sure I will."

Running from the manager's office, through several store aisles, through the entrance, and into the parking lot, Doofenshmirtz stopped when he saw Norm entertaining a group of little children as their parents watched with interest.

"NORM!" roared Doofenshmirtz. "I told you not to make a scene!"

"Is this your robot?" one of the parents asked.

"Yes, yes it is. Now move along! We're leaving!"

"Do we have to, sir?" asked Norm as the children groaned. "I'm having fun!"

"And I told you not to make a scene!" Doofenshmirtz replied while the parents escorted their children away into the store. "Now, Norm, go back into your car mode, for we're going to the Googolplex Mall!"

* * *

Even though it has been only 24 hours since Isabella disappeared, Vivian Garcia-Shapiro continued to feel worried for her daughter, like any parent would. However, she was also feeling angry, not because Isabella was somewhere in Danville, but because the police force was lackluster, for they theorized that aliens abducted the children. Right now, they were probably ordering astronomers to examine the planets through their telescopes. And knowing that convincing the police chief, a sleepy, pizza-eating couch potato, to change his ways wasn't an easy task, Vivian knew that it was up to the parents to investigate now. There was no way the children will be permanently lost anytime soon. And this was why she called a meeting with the parents of Baljeet, Buford, Irving, Django, Jeremy, Stacy, and the Fireside Girls, including Gretchen Davison's father Jack.

Jack Davison was a good friend of Vivian's, for they shared many similar aspects. Some included the facts that both were currently single, they were both allergic to lemons, and they both enjoy playing the contrabass. Vivian always enjoyed committing to activities with Jack, as the both of them were practically on the same page with each other. In fact, he was the first person she invited to the meeting.

Tapping her foot as she stood by the door of an empty storage room at the Googolplex Mall, Vivian watched as the customers went about with their shopping sprees, buying anything they needed. Examining a group of teenage girls talking away as they giddily walked into another store, the woman wondered what life will be like for her five years later, when she would have to deal with a teenage Isabella, who would constantly go out on dates and shopping with her friends. Making a note in her mind to ask Misaki Hirano on how she deals with her daughter Stacy once everything was over, Vivian watched as the parents she invited approached her. Leading them was Jack.

"Hey, Vivian!" greeted Jack. "So, where are we meeting?"

"In here," Vivian replied, opening the door into the room the mall's manager loaned to her hours ago. "Come on in, and there's food and drinks!"

The parents followed Vivian into a large room that once contained storage boxes, but now held a makeshift stage and had several rows of chairs placed in front of it. At the right of the rows was an oblong table of food and drinks. The parents partook of the refreshments provided by Vivian before sitting down on the chairs, each of the husbands beside their wives and vice versa. Jack was seated beside the Rai couple, and Vivian noticed that there was an empty seat beside him. Momentarily feeling sorry for Jack, she then spoke to the audience.

"Everyone, I have called you all here because I have finally realized why the crime rate in Danville has been steadily increasing. It is because our hometown's police force is not living up to the expectations that were set by any other law enforcement squad. It is probably thanks to their less-than-average experience, our children have gone missing! And now, they're assuming aliens have abducted them! Which is why I have decided to start a petition to make sure that the officers here have to do their job in finding our children, otherwise the citizens of Danville _will_ take action. Who's with me?"

Everyone raised his or her hands, and Vivian nodded proudly. Passing petition papers to each parent, she announced, "Alright, everyone, the goal of this petition is to get at least 50,000 signatures. And we can easily get most of those signatures from none other than here, the Googolplex Mall, Danville's most popular shopping center!"

"Hm, good idea," replied Beppo Brown as he and his wife received their paper.

"Okay, everyone!" announced Vivian. "We don't have a minute to lose! Who knows what our children are going through? We have to get those signatures fast!"

* * *

David grumbled impatiently to himself as he watched his acquaintances Roderick and Sid as they tried to convince a clerk to allow them to buy the clothes they picked out without any money. Scratching his raven-black hair, he watched as the twitchy Sid began to extend his fingers, a sign that he was gonna psychotically attack the clerk, but Roderick noticed the motion and slapped Sid in the head when the clerk looked away, bringing him to his senses. David then glanced at his muscular companion Byron, whose arms were crossed as he watched the scene progress with interest.

"He's gonna snap eventually," said David. "And when he snaps, there's gonna be a lot of dead bodies."

"D'you think I should take care of him, boss?" Byron asked, cracking his knuckles expertly.

"No. His psychopathic tendencies are of use to us. Remember those six SWAT agents that tried to apprehend us at Wichita?"

"Yeah, he killed them all with a mere switchblade. A switchblade, boss! And they had guns!"

"That's right, Byron. We can't get rid of him. Besides, we need all of the manpower we have on our team to accomplish our objective!"

"You mean _your_ objective, boss," replied Byron.

David's expression darkened mysteriously. "Yes, _my_ objective. But it doesn't matter if we are just bringing closure to only my personal matter. We will treat it equally, as if it is _our_ personal matter. And we _will_ succeed in concluding some unfinished business, because we are the Tri-State Bombers!"

"You mean 'we _were_ the Tri-State Bombers'," Roderick commented as he and Sid walked towards the duo.

"What d'you mean by 'we _were_', Roderick?" David asked, crossing his arms.

"Well," replied Roderick, "the Tri-State Bombers once had hundreds of members, and now, we are obviously reduced to only four men remaining! We might as well rename ourselves the Tri-State Bomber Foursome, if you ask me."

"Once we're through with what we came for, Roderick, then we shall resurrect the Tri-State Bombers and regain more members! And soon, the Tri-State Area will fall into anarchy!"

"Ooh, anarchy!" cried Sid happily, twitching with sadistic pleasure. "Ooh, I can't _wait_ to see that!"

"We will, soon. For now, we shall make our leave." David then noticed that Roderick and Sid weren't carrying the clothes they intended to use to replace the old ones to prevent anyone from recognizing them. "Wait a minute, what happened to the clothes you got?"

"We couldn't convince the clerk," replied Roderick. "He stated that the rules were rules, and that unless we had any money, we couldn't buy them."

"Why don't we just make a run with the clothes, boss?" Sid asked. "That'll be fun!"

"We can't risk blowing our cover again!" exclaimed David.

"I can handle more SWAT agents, just watch me!"

"Yeah, you were able to kill the six agents sent in. But do ya think that you can bring down _sixteen_ the next time?"

"Uh...no," Sid replied.

David turned around and walked out of the clothes store, followed by his comrades. "I thought so."

Walking down the large hallway of the Googolplex Mall, the four men walked a considerable distance when Sid announced that he wanted to use the bathroom, and he went into the nearest men's bathroom, followed by Byron. This left David and Roderick alone, and they sat down on a wooden bench.

David decided to lose himself in thought. He was extremely angry at how his life was turning out currently. Thirteen years ago, he was the glorious leader of a criminal organization stationed in the Tri-State Area. The organization specialized in inspiring widespread fear by placing bombs in random public areas and detonating them. Although the bombs were of small power and claimed few lives, the criminal activities gained enough publicity that the FBI had been summoned.

That was when everything went downhill.

Three years after that, he foolishly let slip his activities to his girlfriend under the pretense that she, in her loyalty towards him, wouldn't alert anyone. Unfortunately, she did, and he and everyone else in the organization were arrested. Another three years later, he, Roderick, Byron, and Sid all managed to escape from the prison confining them and attempted to kill the girlfriend with a bomb placed in a box. However, the plan failed when a man mistook the box for another box he was supposed to get and was at a safe distance from the intended victim when the bomb blew up, killing only him and injuring seventeen others. Worse yet, the police were already on their tails, and the four had to flee the Tri-State Area before they can do anything else and run all over the country in hiding for the following seven years.

But now that the incident at Wichita happened only six months ago, David felt that it was time to return to Danville.

_"Soon,"_ he thought, _"soon I will have my revenge."_

* * *

Entering the Googolplex Mall, Doofenshmirtz spotted a map of the mall's entire layout and approached it. Browsing the list of stores for a particular one that would sell items like the Pizzazium Infinionite canister, the evil scientist finally found one that fit the bill: Bruce's Batteries, which was at the upper floor. Finding and stepping inside the nearest elevator, Doofenshmirtz watched the two doors slide towards each to shut him inside when he saw a couple running towards the elevator.

"Hey!" the man cried. "Stop those doors!"

Doofenshmirtz kindly did so, and allowed the couple in before letting the doors close.

"Thanks, sir," the man, who had auburn hair, said.

"My pleasure," replied Doofenshmirtz.

The woman, who seemed to be of Hispanic descent, showed Doofenshmirtz a paper, which had several signatures.

"Hey, do you want to see the police force at Danville be improved?" asked the woman.

Doofenshmirtz's eyes widened with confusion. "I'm sorry, _what_?"

"Oh, I'm starting a petition to ensure that more competent officers are working at the Danville Police Department."

"Oh, a petition!" cried Doofenshmirtz happily as the doors slid open, the elevator having reached the upper floor; the evil scientist and the couple stepped out.

"Yeah, so you wanna sign?" asked the man. "It's your decision though; we're not forcing you."

"Sure, I'd like to see more better policemen," Doofenshmirtz replied, taking the paper and signing it with a pen he had in his lab coat. "I mean, weeks ago I was driving my robot car, Norm, back to my apartment with an Anti-Gravity E...ager Launch-Inator I made when a policeman pulled me over and asked if I had a license to drive a robot? I really didn't have one, but I built Norm! Doesn't that mean I have the right to do so anyway? I mean, seriously! And they took away Norm and that device! I managed to get the former back, but I didn't get my invention, for it had been reduced to a pile of scrap by the time I got there! I mean, really!"

"I know how you feel," the woman replied. "My daughter Isabella was abducted along with countless other children in a bus that read 'O.W.C.A.', and the police believe that it was an alien abduction! Even though I here managed to take a photo of the bus!"

"Yeah, I know r-" Doofenshmirtz began, but then he stopped upon remembering what the man said to him.

_"My daughter Isabella was abducted along with countless other children in a bus that read 'O.W.C.A.'..."_

"Wait, Isabella, you say?" asked Doofenshmirtz.

"Yeah, Isabella," replied Vivian. She suddenly became more aware. "Why? Have you seen her?"

"Yeah! She wasn't abducted by the O.W.C.A.; it was _I_ who abducted her! You better check your facts, woman!"

"_You_ kidnapped Isabella?" Vivian asked, shocked. Doofenshmirtz suddenly realized his mistake.

"Wait a minute, did I say _I_ kidnapped her? I meant _Phineas_ kidnapped her!"

"Impossible, Phineas would never do such a thing to Isabella!" Vivian's eyes suddenly widened. "And how come you know Phineas? Did you kidnap him too?"

Doofenshmirtz knew that he was in a tight situation. "Uh, um, um, uh-" he stuttered, but Vivian and Jack immediately realized something.

"_You're_ the one who kidnapped our children!" exclaimed Jack, pointing his finger at Doofenshmirtz. "Vivian, run! I'll call 911, you call the others!"

"No, no, no, wait!" protested the villain, but it was too late. The two dashed away from him, and Doofenshmirtz slapped his forehead in disbelief.

_"Aw, man,"_ he thought. He then procured his cell phone. _"Phineas has to hear about this."_

But before he can dial the number, he stopped. He knew that Phineas was gonna lash out at him, and who knows what he'll do this time? Not wanting to take any chances, the evil scientist decided that he should capture the two personally.

* * *

Pushing through customers, Vivian frantically dialed the first number she thought of: the number to Ginger's father Mr. Hirano. Putting the phone to her ear, she heard Mr. Hirano's voice ask, "Hello?"

"Tai!" exclaimed Vivian. "Jack and I found him!"

"Found who, Vivian?" Mr. Hirano asked worriedly.

"The guy who took all of our children! He admitted it himself! Jack and I are running from him, and Jack's calling 911!"

"Don't worry, I'll gather the others and we'll get to you," replied Mr. Hirano, hanging up.

Vivian looked behind her shoulder and saw Jack talking to the 911 operator. She also spotted Doofenshmirtz, who was pursuing them as he held what appeared to be some sort of gun. Gasping, Vivian yelled out to Jack.

"Jack, he's got a gun!"

Jack nodded before saying into his cell phone, "And he now has a gun! I repeat, he has a gun!"

Hanging up, Jack put his cell phone back in his pocket and looked back at Doofenshmirtz as the three continued to run past customers down the large hallway, who watched on in confusion. Jack then saw a man pushing a cart full of basketballs and soccer balls, and got an idea. Stopping briefly to overturn the cart, Jack ignored the man yelling at him as he watched Doofenshmirtz struggle to evade stepping on a ball. Unfortunately for Jack, Doofenshmirtz was successful, and he continued to run after them.

Jack gasped as Doofenshmirtz then pointed his gun and fired, to Jack's shock, a large green bubble that floated swiftly towards him. Not wanting to know what a bubble can do to him, Jack kept on running after Vivian.

Doofenshmirtz watched as the bubble he fired instead captured another customer, and he snapped, "AW, POOH!"

Firing three more bubbles, Doofenshmirtz watched as they floated towards Vivian and Jack at high speeds. However, the evil scientist groaned as several beavers randomly appeared out of nowhere and popped the bubbles by chewing on them.

"Aw, come on!" he exclaimed. "Where'd the beavers come from, anyway?"

Vivian and Jack continued to run like they've never run before, and finally, the two decided to make a turn and sprint into a clothing store. Doofenshmirtz quickly followed them inside, but stopped upon finding that they were gone, most likely hiding behind the shirt racks. Putting his Coition-Inator inside his lab coat so none of the other customers can see it, he began stalking into the racks.

Unbeknownst to Doofenshmirtz, Vivian and Jack were indeed hiding inside a shirt rack, albeit one that was close to him, and the two kept moving around into another rack to prevent their pursuer from spotting them. Vivian procured her cell phone and dialed Mr. Hirano's cell phone number again.

"Hello?" came Mr. Hirano's voice.

"Tai, we're in the Clothing Store With Many Shirt Racks," whispered Vivian. "Please come! We're hiding in a shirt rack, and he's closing in!"

"Don't worry, Vivian," replied Mr. Hirano. "We're all on our way!"

Suddenly, the clothes parted, and the two stared into a long, pointed nose.

"Ah, going somewhere?" Doofenshmirtz asked. "Or, is it 'hiding somewhere'? You know, cause your hiding in a shirt rack. Ah, whatever. At least I have you now!"

"Not if I can help it!" growled Jack, and he punched the scientist right in the nose; Doofenshmirtz emitted a loud yelp of pain and fell to the ground, clutching his nose. "Run, Vivian!"

Vivian and Jack then made a dash towards the doors leading out of the Clothing Store With Many Shirt Racks into the open streets, but suddenly, Doofenshmirtz appeared and stepped in the way of said doors, preventing any escape. He was holding his Coition-Inator in one hand, and his other hand was clutching his broken and bleeding nose.

"Look," snarled Doofenshmirtz, "I only _assisted_ in the kidnapping of your children! Sure, it puts me to blame like everyone else, but I had to participate against my will! But it doesn't matter anymore! My orders are to acquire a canister of Pizzazium Infinionite and capture anyone who stands in the way. I'm sorry, but since you're in the way, I'm gonna have to capture you. I don't want Phineas to get angry at me again!"

"_Phineas_?" asked Vivian.

"Yeah," Doofenshmirtz replied. He then raised an eyebrow. "Why? D'you know him?"

"As in, like, Phineas _Albert Flynn_?"

"Yeah, yeah! That's him! He's calling all the shots, not me!"

"Impossible!" Vivian exclaimed. "Phineas would never have our children captured!"

"Would I?"

The speaker was new, and Vivian and Jack turned around to see Phineas Flynn standing there, a malicious frown on his face as he held his stun gun and the kitchen knife from the Flynn-Fletcher house. Vivian, Jack, and Doofenshmirtz's eyes widened at the sudden sight of him, while the other customers spotted the two weapons and screamed, running away from the scene.

"Phineas!" exclaimed Vivian. "What're you doing here?" She then eyed Phineas's weapons. "And why are you holding those? It's not safe to be holding those!"

"Ms. Garcia-Shapiro," Phineas said eerily, "this man here is right. I'm the one calling the shots, and, as he hints, it was _I_ who ordered the kidnapping of your children!"

"WHAT?" cried Jack in shock and frustration. "Why would you do that?"

Phineas looked at him and replied, "We didn't really succeed, idiot. A bus belonging to the O.W.C.A. took off with them. Don't worry, you two, the ones who took them are the good guys, and the children are in safe hands. For now, that is."

"The abductors are the good guys?" Vivian asked, confused. "Then why-"

But suddenly, she now realized why this O.W.C.A. would kidnap the children. It was because...

"You were threatening them, Phineas?"

Phineas laughed heartily before replying, "Yes, yes I was."

"But why would you do that? They're your friends, all of them!"

Phineas's expression darkened. "Not anymore."

"Well," Doofenshmirtz said, lightening up the atmosphere, "I must ask, kid, how'd you know I was at the Googolplex Mall instead of the Superduper Mega Superstore?"

"You were almost an hour behind schedule, idiot. Previously, I had a bad feeling that you might soften after seeing your wife and daughter being captured, so I secretly placed a tracking device on Norm that he doesn't know about. Anyway, I was wondering why you were late, so I checked the device to see where you were, and I saw that you were not at the Superduper Mega Superstore, but the mall. And why, may I ask, are you here instead of there?"

"I couldn't find the canister anywhere, so I asked the manager and he said that they moved it here. I came here to find it."

"Well, you've wasted your time on those two, because I have it right here." Phineas held up the canister with his hand, and Doofenshmirtz's eyes widened.

"Look, kiddo, I had a good reason to be distracted!"

"And that's because those two know our secret, am I correct?" replied Phineas calmly.

Doofenshmirtz gulped before shaking his head. Phineas's eye twitched, and then he raised his stun gun and fired a laser at Doofenshmirtz's leg. He then stunned Vivian and Jack, incapacitating them, before approaching the fallen scientist and stepping on his hand hard. A loud crack suddenly echoed through the room, and Doofenshmirtz screamed out in pain as Vivian gasped and Jack cringed.

"I _know_ you're lying, Doofenshmirtz," Phineas said, still calm, "and I don't _like_ it. Now, I want you to help me capture those two-" He pointed at Vivian and Jack. "-or else I make sure your wife and daughter both get it!"

Doofenshmirtz nodded, and Phineas lifted his foot off of the scientist's hand. Flinching from the pain, Doofenshmirtz aimed his Coition-Inator at Vivian and Jack and was about to fire when Beppo Brown and two other fathers leapt out and tackled him to the ground. The other parents appeared on the scene and lifted Vivian and Jack to their feet, and Phineas immediately hid his weapons out of their sights.

"Are you two okay?" asked Irving's mother Mrs. Saltker.

"Yeah, we're okay," Jack replied.

Katie's father Mr. Pratt looked at Doofenshmirtz, who was being restrained by Beppo and the two other fathers when he spotted Phineas.

"Phineas!" Mr. Pratt cried, rushing towards him under the pretense that Doofenshmirtz had him as a hostage. "Don't worry, it's okay!"

"No, don't!" cried Vivian and Jack simultaneously.

"What do you mean?" Mr. Pratt replied, kneeling before Phineas. "Does he have a bomb strapped to him?"

"No, but-" Vivian began, but Mr. Pratt was now looking at the ten-year-old.

"Are you okay?" Mr. Pratt asked Phineas.

"Yeah, I'm okay," replied Phineas, stabbing Mr. Pratt as everyone gasped. "In fact-" He pulled out his stun gun and stunned Beppo and the two other fathers that restrained Doofenshmirtz. "-I feel _better_ than okay."

"Phew, thanks k-" Doofenshmirtz began, but he was stunned again by Phineas.

"I'll deal with you later, Doofenshmirtz. For now, capture all of those parents! Looks like we have a little bonus in addition to the Pizzazium Infinionite: more troops to help us take over the world! And those kids won't stop us because their parents are on our side! Or at least some of them, at least!"

"Take over the world?" Dr. Hirano asked in shock. "Phineas, what are you doing?"

"Doing whatever I want," replied Phineas as he watched with pleasure as Mrs. Pratt attended to her husband, helping him tend to his wound.

"This is not right, Phineas!" Mrs. Johnson cried. "This is _illegal_! You'll be arrested for this!"

Phineas stunned Mrs. Johnson with his gun. "Not if I can help it. Doofenshmirtz, capture them now, cause I'm having this itching feeling to use my knife on them next, and I want as many troops as possible!"

Doofenshmirtz looked reluctantly at the parents before aiming his Coition-Inator again.

However, before the scientist can fire, the doors behind them exploded, sending Phineas and Doofenshmirtz into the air. It was the O.W.C.A. bus, being driven by Carl. Standing on the roof was Perry, Fred, and Randy, brandishing their weapons. At the windows was the children, led by Ferb and Candace.

"MOM!" Baljeet, Buford, Irving, Django, Jeremy, Stacy, and the Fireside Girls all cried. "DAD!"

"It's our kids!" cried Holly's father Mr. Stoner.

Carl opened the bus doors and called, "GET IN, EVERYONE! HURRY!"

Seeing that their children were safe, the parents obeyed and boarded the bus, the injured Mr. Pratt and the stunned Beppo, Mr. Van Stomm, Mr. Rai, and Mrs. Johnson having to be supported by the others. Phineas and Doofenshmirtz tried fired their guns at them, only to have little success as Perry, Fred, and Randy fired back at them.

Phineas looked at Perry, and Perry stared back, trying to find a glimpse of the optimistic, caring Phineas he knew in his eyes, only to find nothing but evil within the eerie green. Perry bowed his head in respect for the part of his owner he once knew before firing a sphere from his weapon. The sphere hit Phineas's chest with full force, knocking the wind out of him. Screaming with rage, Phineas attempted to fire at the wheels, but by that time, every adult successfully boarded the bus, and Carl backed it out of the clothes store and then drove off into the glorious daylight.

"NNNNNOOOOO!" screeched Phineas. "THEY'VE ESCAPED _AGAIN_! AAARRRGGGHHH! THEY MUST _NOT_ INTERFERE!" He turned to Doofenshmirtz. "DOOFENSHMIRTZ, IT IS TIME!"

"Time for what?" asked Doofenshmirtz. Phineas rolled his eyes and stunned him once again.

"OW! Why must you keep stunning me?"

"Because you're an IDIOT," replied Phineas coldly. "Follow me, we're going back to DEI!"

"Well, at least we have the-" Doofenshmirtz began, but upon hearing Phineas growl with rage, he decided to not finish his sentence and merely followed the boy like an obedient dog following its master.

However, before the two can leave, a ringing pierced the silence. Phineas and Doofenshmirtz both looked back and saw that it was Mrs. Johnson's cell phone; apparently she dropped it when she was stunned.

Picking it up, Phineas saw that it was coming from the Johnson home and decided to do something. Taking out a device from his pocket and put it in his mouth. Doofenshmirtz looked confused as Phineas put the phone to his ear and answered the ringing.

"Hello?" Phineas said in, to Doofenshmirtz's surprise, Mrs. Johnson's voice.

"Hi, Mrs. Johnson, this is Mandy," a young female voice replied; the voice sounded a bit stressed. "I accidentally angered Suzy's pet poodle! I tried everything you said on your letter, but it's not working! What should I do?"

"Give it some food," replied Phineas randomly.

"Oh, okay," Mandy said, a bit confused. "Thanks, Mrs. Johnson."

"My pleasure." When Mandy hung up, Phineas hung up as well, removed the device in his mouth, and then he turned to Doofenshmirtz, smiling deviously.

"Change of plans, Doofenshmirtz," he said. "We're going to the Johnson house for a little visit."

* * *

David, Roderick, Byron, and Sid watched as Phineas and Doofenshmirtz left the store, the former still holding the Pizzazium Infinionite canister.

"Wow, for a youngster that kid sure has some spunk!" Roderick noted. "Maybe he can help us exact your revenge scheme, boss!"

"Yeah, good point, Roderick," replied David sinisterly. "Men, move out! We're gonna follow those two!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, thus begins the point in this fic when things TRULY start escalating. As if things hadn't escalated in this fic already. XP
> 
> Also, for all of you old readers, well...hopefully you remember David's significance in the grand scheme of things. Please, no spoilers for the new readers!
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this re-posted chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	13. No Way Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now a prisoner of his own mind, Phineas finds that the reality he has been sentenced to live in by the Shadow, the one where Phillip is still alive, is ironically becoming a nightmare of its own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ack, I'm late AGAIN! Sorry, you guys. I've decided to get caught up with another fic that I hadn't updated in quite a while, and it clearly took up a lot of my time. Fortunately, once I got to it, this chapter wasn't that terribly hard to edit and process.
> 
> Alright, on with the long-awaited chapter! ENJOY!
> 
> Disclaimer: Even if the song's not on this chapter specifically, I still DO NOT own the "Rollercoaster" song, in spite of the tinkering I made for the purposes of this fic.
> 
> P.S.: Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

Phineas opened his eyes and stared into the face of his stepbrother Ferb, who sleeping in the other bed. The sunlight was shining through the window, bathing everything in its sight in a brilliant, angelic light. The ten-year-old sat up on his bed and looked at Perry, who was still sleeping. Then, on cue, he watched as the device he made as a makeshift alarm clock unfolded from the clock and poked Perry in the head thrice, causing him to thrust his eyes open and make his signature chatter.

Phineas smiled and said, "Good morning, Perry."

Ferb stood up on his bed and made a silent yawn before standing up from the bed and leaving to brush his teeth in the bathroom. With the atmosphere all to himself and Perry, Phineas briefly stroked his pet platypus's smooth back of fur before opening the drawer of a table and looking inside it, only to gasp sadly as he looked at his own red hairs, the same ones that were torn out by the Shadow yesterday. He had gathered them and put them inside the drawer to ensure that when he looked into the drawer the next day, he would know that he was dreaming when he didn't see them. But now that he was seeing them, he realized with a horror that he wasn't dreaming: his body indeed had a new controller now.

Standing up from the bed, Phineas rushed out of the bedroom just as Ferb came in from the bathroom. Nearly colliding with his mother on his trip toward the stairs, the ten-year-old ignored his mother asking for him as he ran down the stairs and up to the door leading into the backyard. In the sofa next to said door was Candace, who was watching TV while cradling her Ducky Momo doll.

Candace looked at her brother as he slid the door open and asked, "Phineas?"

But Phineas ignored her and instead ran into the backyard. About to seek solace in the shelter of the backyard tree where he and Ferb came up with their Big Ideas, Phineas stopped when he saw the tree and realized that no matter how similar the tree looked to the one in the reality he knew, this tree wasn't real and was definitely not the backyard tree where he came up with his fabulous ideas with his stepbrother. He instead sat down on the grass, buried his face in his palms, and sobbed.

Phineas had heard the word 'irony' being used many times, and yet, he never knew what it meant, even though his parents explained it to him several times. But now, he finally understood its definition. The reality, the one he was in, the one that resided in his mind, was perfect. It had the sole thing he ever wanted in life: Phillip being alive. Ferb and Lawrence were still a part of the family, and Phillip just divorced Linda instead of being the only fatality of a deadly bombing. For many hours, Phineas enjoyed this life, the new reality he found in his own mind. Everything was just perfect.

That is, until he realized that someone else was now living the life he left behind. Someone who wanted to take advantage of it for his own megalomaniacal purposes.

Himself.

And now, Phineas was desperate to return to his old life, even if Phillip was dead in that reality. He knew he needed to save everyone there from this new him, his own evil, before he can succeed in his mission. But he didn't know where to start. He had tried attacking the Shadow, but he had unmatched fighting expertise and was armed with something Phineas still couldn't identify, the fire-like substance enveloping him. He had tried attacking everything in the reality the Shadow resided in, the one between the reality he left behind and the reality he is in currently, but the only thing there was just ground, which only made his knuckles bleed and his skin scrape as he tried to find some way to inflict it with injuries of any sort. He planned to tell his family, the one of this reality, of what was happening, but he feared that it might do something to upset the reality's entire continuum.

_"What should I do?"_ Phineas asked in his mind.

"Phineas?"

The inventor looked up into Candace's face. Concern was etched on her face, an emotion that the Candace of the other reality seldom expressed. Phineas wiped the tears from his face.

"Yes?"

"You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," replied Phineas as Candace sat down next to him. "It's just that...well, I'm just so glad I'm living this life. After all, I have an awesome father, a great stepfather, a cool brother, a nice mom...and the best big sister ever."

Candace smiled. "Aw, gee, thanks."

Phineas smiled, but then he turned serious and asked, "Candace, may I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"I love my life and all, but sometimes, I can't help but wonder that if I, uh, came from another life."

Phineas immediately scratched his ear. Fortunately, Candace didn't notice.

"You're not adopted, Phineas."

"I know; it's just that I wonder if there is another life we lived before this one. And if there's another life waiting for us to live it once we die in this life."

"I'm not seeing where you're going, Phineas."

Phineas sighed and continued, "Well, what if you remember the life you once lived, and you happened to like it more than this one? Not that such a thing is happening to me, but...what if that happened? What if you liked...no, _loved_ the life you once lived and you want to return to it? You know, like switch lives or something by those lines?"

"What happened if you loved the life you once lived and you want to return to it?" Candace said to herself in wonder. Finally, after several minutes of her thinking, she replied, "I don't know, Phineas. I don't know what happens after you die, let alone how to trade lives. What I do know from Dad (not Lawrence, but _our_ Dad) is that we must live our lives to the fullest, and just live everything in the present. Never fret about the past or the future. You know, _Carpe Diem_?"

"Yeah," said Phineas in a sad tone that Candace didn't notice. "Well, thanks anyway, sis."

"Anytime, little brother," Candace replied, and she walked back inside the house, where Linda was waiting. Phineas watched as the two conversed about something, most likely about him, before standing up and walking towards the backyard gate.

Before he can open the door on it, it already opened for him, and there stood Isabella, hearts practically in her eyes.

"Hi, Phineas," she greeted, almost dreamily. "Whatcha-" She stopped upon seeing her friend's downcast look. "-doin'?"

"Hi, Isabella," replied Phineas glumly.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm okay. I just need some time alone."

"No!" Isabella stood in front of Phineas before he can leave. "No, you're _not _okay. I can tell! You're not being the optimistic boy I know and l...earned from! Tell me, what's the problem?"

"I'm just having a case of the blues, that's all." Phineas tried to get past Isabella, but grabbed his hand and he found himself blushing.

"Then I know how I can cheer you up," she said warmly.

Isabella took Phineas down and out of Maple Drive and into Bell Road, where Phineas knew was where Gretchen Davison lived. Indeed, the two approached the backyard gate of Gretchen's house and Isabella knocked on the door. Soon, the door opened and it revealed Baljeet, Buford, the Fireside Girls, Irving, Django Brown, and the children of Danville.

"SURPRISE!" they all cried.

Phineas gasped: standing triumphantly on Gretchen's backyard was the rollercoaster, just exactly like the one he and Ferb made during the memorable start of the summer.

"Whoa!" cried Phineas.

"We made this for you, Phineas," Isabella replied, "to show how much we care for you!"

"And it was all Ferb's idea!" cried Baljeet.

As if on cue, Ferb stepped out of the bushes and gave Phineas the thumbs-up. Phineas's thoughts about the Shadow living his old life slipped away almost immediately.

"Ferb, you're the best!" he cried.

Ferb smiled and asked, "So, you wanna ride it, bro?"

"You bet!" Suddenly, Phineas thought about something. "Wait, uh, guys, are you sure this is safe?"

"Of course!" Isabella replied as everyone boarded the rollercoaster.

Phineas smiled as the rollercoaster began its ascend up the track. It was gonna be an exciting ride.

* * *

**Interjecting A/N:** The events that happen during the singing of this song is practically the same as what happened during "Rollercoaster: The Musical!" as they were singing this song, so there's no need to explain what's happening again.

* * *

_(Rollercoaster, roll, rollercoaster)  
__**Isabella:**__ It's like a leisurely drive around downtown  
__But it starts with a three-mile drop straight down  
__Yeah, now keep your head and hands and feet inside the ride  
__Not a written rule, but it's strongly implied  
__(Rollercoaster, roll, rollercoaster)  
_Permanecer sentados, por favor  
_Scream if you want more!  
__That's right!_

_Corkscrewin' 'round the interstate  
__With peanut butter and rubber snakes  
__Clear the way, move over  
__Look out, Bud! (Look out, Bud!)  
__Here comes the mud!  
__(Rollercoaster, roll, rollercoaster)  
__(Rollercoaster, roll, rollercoaster)  
_Look out!

_Rightside up and upside down  
_ _Don't ask me to talk  
_ _Can't tell a verb from a noun  
_ _And I'm screaming like a baby  
_ _Who's afraid of a clown  
_ _ **Buford:** _ _ I'm glad I'm wearing trousers  
_ _That are already brown!  
_ _ **Isabella:** _ _ It'll twist your melon  
_ _It'll turn your gut  
_ _My, is this ride sweet or what?  
_ _We go:_

_ **Everyone:** _ _ Ah, ah, ah  
_ _ **Ferb:** _ _ We go:  
_ _ **Everyone:** _ _ Ah, ah, ah  
_ _ **Ferb:** _ _ We go:  
_ _ **Everyone:** _ _ Ah, ah, ah  
_ _ **Baljeet:** _ _ I got the poster!  
_ _(Rollercoaster, roll, rollercoaster)  
_ _(Rollercoaster, roll, rollercoaster)  
_ _(Rollercoaster, roll, rollercoaster)  
_ _(Rollercoaster, roll, rollercoaster)_

* * *

**Three hours later...**

After riding through all of Danville, the rollercoaster finally slowed to a stop at Gretchen's backyard. Everyone stepped off from the rollercoaster, excited smiles and shocked looks still on his or her faces.

However, Phineas still remained on the rollercoaster, his excited look slowly reverting back to his downcast mood. For a shining three hours, his worries have all been blown away by the rollercoaster ride, but now that the ride was over, he felt them flooding back inside his body. Leaning his head back and looking at the upward track that signaled the beginning of another ride, Phineas began to wonder what the Shadow was doing to ruin the life he once lived. He wondered if he was hurting Ferb and Candace and Perry and everyone else, either physically or psychologically. Either way, the Shadow was doing something, and it wasn't good.

"Phineas? Are you okay?"

Phineas turned his head and saw Isabella, who had just seated herself beside him.

"Yeah, I'm okay," replied Phineas. "I'm just, uh, sad that the ride is over."

He scratched his ear compulsively. Unlike Candace, Isabella was quick to notice the action.

"Something else is bothering you, Phineas," she said. "What is it?"

Phineas gulped. He didn't know what to tell Isabella. And what if he told the truth? Would something happen to this reality as a result?

"I can't tell you, Isabella. I don't think you would believe me if I did."

"Try me."

Isabella leaned in closer to Phineas so she can hear his problems more efficiently. As she did, the ten-year-old looked at her eyes and suddenly noticed her blue eyes were. And when he did, he suddenly felt lost in an entirely different world of blue, the only thing residing there besides him being Isabella. Phineas immediately blushed.

"I don't mean to go off-topic," he said, "but your eyes, they're...how should I say it? Uh..."

Isabella smiled. "Pretty?"

"No, they're so blue," Phineas replied. When he saw Isabella's look turn into that of sadness, it tore his heart to see the blue eyes look so downcast. So, he decided to add, "But very pretty."

Isabella immediately smiled again, and Phineas smiled back, knowing that what he said was actually the truth, as he didn't scratch his ear. Both felt lost again in that blue world, and the two of them slowly inched closer to one another, still looking at each other's eyes.

"Phineas?" asked Isabella hopefully.

"Yes, Isabella?"

"There's something I wanna tell you."

"There's something I wanna tell you too."

Isabella's smile became even more pronounced. "And what's that?"

"No, you go first."

"No, you."

"Okay." Phineas gulped nervously. Finally, he said, "I love you, Isabella."

Phineas couldn't believe he said those words. But he also felt proud of himself as well. The brilliant summer sunlight bathed the two in its angelic rays, and both children remained unaware as Ferb and the other children watched, smiling with approval at what was progressing. Baljeet was about to cry out with joy, but Buford silenced him with a wedgie.

"You do?" asked Isabella, gasping.

"I do. I've been in love with you for a long time, but I never really noticed. And finally, after seeing those blue eyes of yours, I finally found it, and I accept it. And now, I've realized that all of these inventions, everything Ferb and I made, wouldn't have been there without your support. Your support was always one of the many factors in my life during the summer, and I never got the chance to thank you back. And so, here's my thanks to you, Isabella Garcia-Shapiro."

And with that, Phineas closed in to complete the gap between him and Isabella, and she did the same.

"I love you too, Phineas Flynn," Isabella said.

The two continued to close in on one another, and Phineas felt his problems slipping away again.

But before their journey can be completed, a new voice spoke up.

"Aw, that's so _sweet_."

Everyone looked up to see the Shadow standing there, an evil grin on his face. Phineas immediately felt his problems flooding into his soul once again.

The world began to dissolve into smoke. Phineas looked around sadly and watched as Isabella and the rollercoaster and everything else around him disappeared. Phineas tried reaching out to Isabella, but it was too late: all but her head had dissolved, and Phineas was forced to watch as her head, including those dazzlingly blue eyes, dissolve as well. When the reality replaced itself with the Shadow's reality, with the purple mist and the cold, uneven ground, Phineas glanced angrily at his doppelganger. He was so sick of having to jump between realities. Better yet, he was so _sick_ of the Shadow living his life and taking advantage of it for whatever purposes he had.

"Sorry if I interrupted your precious little moment," the Shadow said, "but I thought I'd check on you just in case."

"WHY?" Phineas cried in despair, more like a wailing animal than a pained human. "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME? WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS?"

"Nothing, Phineas," replied the Shadow unflinchingly. "And that's what makes it all fun. Because you didn't deserve it. You were just there at the wrong moment when the laser came in. But I guess it's not your fault. After all, Django Brown sent you to the park to get zapped." The Shadow's face hardened into concentration. "You know, I should probably thank him. First he gets me created, and then he gets your friends to make weapons for me to gain."

"What?" Phineas was confused. "What weapons?"

"These," replied the Shadow, and a projection was displayed on the mist on his cue.

Phineas gasped at the sight. It was everything he and Ferb built during the summer, starting from the rollercoaster. Every contraption was grouped in the backyard, like some sort of super-amusement park or something. It was simultaneously beautiful and ghastly to see. Phineas gasped again when he realized the Shadow's intentions.

"You WOULDN'T!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, yes I would," replied the Shadow, crossing his arms triumphantly. "And it's a shame for you, because you _can't_ stop me."

"Watch me," snarled Phineas, and he charged forward towards his evil doppelganger, not caring if the fiery substance engulfing him was physically harmful, or if he had superior fighting skills. All he wanted to do was to set himself free from this nightmarish event.

But before he could even reach an inch towards the Shadow, everything, including the Shadow, dissolved and reformed back into his and Ferb's bedroom, which was empty.

The Shadow's voice then echoed throughout the air.

"Try and stop me now, boy."

"So, too cowardly to fight me yourself, huh?" Phineas replied bravely.

"I'm not cowardly, boy. I _am_ fighting you right now."

"What d'you mean?"

But there was no response.

"Hello? Shadow?" called Phineas.

Still no response.

"SHADOW!"

Again, no response.

Phineas screamed angrily and slammed his arms into his bed with full force. However, his anger was alleviated when he realized Ferb, Isabella, and the other children would help him. Running down the stairs, past Linda and Candace, Phineas opened the front door and dashed outside to see Isabella on her way to the backyard gate.

"Hey, Isabella!"

Isabella looked at her and smiled. "Oh, hi Phineas!"

Phineas's happiness was replaced with shock. Isabella was wearing the same look she was wearing when he met up with her for the first time of the day. He then remembered that the Shadow was in charge of his mind, and that he could've done something to make everyone who saw him forget the entire event. All in all, the day was practically being started over.

Isabella took Phineas's hand and took him down Maple Drive.

"Come on," she said, "I wanna show you something."

Phineas knew it was the rollercoaster, but now, even his first major invention of the summer couldn't cheer him up anymore.

* * *

The Shadow watched on the projection as Isabella escorted Phineas towards Gretchen's backyard and chuckled malevolently.

"Yep, my weapon is working perfectly," he said to himself. "Even the great Phineas Flynn can't stop me. Now, I've got some hostages to capture."

And with that, the Shadow walked into the mist and towards a light. He walked closer and closer and closer, until finally, Doofenshmirtz's voice called out to him, and everything blacked out.

"Hey, kiddo! We're here!"

The Shadow opened his eyes and found himself inside Norm while the robot was in his car mode. Doofenshmirtz was sitting in the driver's seat, clutching the wheel as he slowed the robot down to a stop.

"Are we there yet?" the Shadow asked.

"13278 Wellington Road, right?" replied Doofenshmirtz.

"Yep, this is it. And I was fearing you'd say the wrong address."

"Just because you call me an idiot doesn't me I'm always one, you know!"

The Shadow stared at his ally with his green eyes. "Are you contradicting me?"

"No!" Doofenshmirtz cried meekly. "I was just making a note of that to you!"

"It had better be you making a note, or you'll _regret_ it."

Doofenshmirtz gulped, but the Shadow didn't notice; he just stared at the Johnson residence, smiling at the newest development.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that does it! Honestly, I'm quite proud of this chapter, now that I'm looking back at it. I've been dealing with high school at the time, yet I updated so frequently that I'm jealous of my fifteen-year-old self, and still, I managed to come up with this ingenious idea of how the Shadow would use Phineas's insecurities to his advantage. Like...jeez, is the guy sadistic or what?! And how the heck was I able to pull this off when I barely had enough spare time as it was?! I'm surprised my grades didn't suffer because of my multitasking!
> 
> Wish I could say the same for today... :'(
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this re-posted chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	14. New Hostages and New Members

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Red Triangle gains five more hostages and four new members. Who are these new additions?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YES! I've finally decided to procrastinate on my homework that's due tomorrow and update this fic a lot earlier for once! Hooray!
> 
> ENJOY!
> 
> P.S.: Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

Phineas snickered deviously as Suzy Johnson and Mandy Jones struggled hopelessly against their bonds, while Doofenshmirtz watched the terrible scene from his rearview mirror with pity as he drove Norm back to the DEI building. Minutes ago, there had been a fresh abduction at the Johnson residence. Initially, it started out as easy; Phineas got Mandy to open the front door by taunting her brothers Thaddeus and Thor, whom he and Ferb defeated in an inventing competition last month, and Doofenshmirtz was able to capture her with his Coition-Inator within a second. When the two went inside to capture Suzy, however, everything nearly went downhill. Phineas glanced at the crimson scratch marks inflicted by Suzy's poodle, and noted that the dog certainly was able to put up a fight if its owner was in danger. It was a good thing he had his stun gun with him, and Phineas sadistically envisaged the poodle lying unconscious on the kitchen floor, one of its legs twitching. And without the poodle to protect Suzy, the little girl was now easy prey.

When Mandy tried to tear the ropes tying her arms together by stretching them out, but without success, Phineas laughed.

"Struggle all you want, Mandy," he said, "but there's no way you'll be getting free."

Mandy spoke, but her speech was blocked out due to the cloth wrapped over her mouth.

"Come again?" Phineas replied with a fake confused tone.

Mandy didn't speak anymore, and Phineas laughed. "I thought so."

At that moment, there was a sudden sputtering noise and black smoke billowed into the air from Norm's grille. Doofenshmirtz began stepping on the pedal repeatedly, but Norm instead began slowing down to a stop.

"No, no, no, no, no!" exclaimed Doofenshmirtz. "Norm, what's happening?"

"My sq-" Norm began, but before he could finish his sentence, the advanced robot immediately went offline, and the car that was Norm immediately stopped beside the sidewalk. There a wheezing noise, as if Norm was making an extended sigh, and then, a small _pop!_ echoed in the air.

"What happened, Doofenshmirtz?" asked Phineas in a calm voice, but Doofenshmirtz knew that his acquaintance was furious inside.

"I don't know, I swear," the scientist replied. "Let me go see..."

Phineas and Doofenshmirtz opened the doors and stepped out of the vehicle. Approaching the engine hood, Doofenshmirtz opened it up, and he and Phineas were bathed in a large, billowing cloud of black, foul-smelling smoke. The two began coughing and swatting away the smoke; when it finally cleared, the two watched as an ash-coated squirrel dashed out of the engine in a black blur, leaving a trail of smoke in its wake as it sprinted into the nearby park in freedom.

"What was that?" Phineas asked, confused.

"That was the squirrel that powered Norm!" cried Doofenshmirtz, pointing at the direction in which the squirrel was taking in shock.

"Norm runs on _squirrel_ power?"

"I don't know why I had him run on such a strange energy source, but there's no time to be extraneous! We need to get that squirrel back!"

"And leave those two behind?" Phineas pointed at Suzy and Mandy, who were watching the scene with mingled looks of shock, confusion, and humor.

"Then you stay here and watch them!"

Phineas raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "While you to the police and turn me in?"

Doofenshmirtz gulped. Surely he was not thinking of doing such a thing, but the suspicion Phineas was showing towards him was frightening. "Then we can bring them with us," he replied meekly.

Phineas's lips tightened, but then he said, "Sounds like a good compromise."

The ten-year-old then stuck his hand in his pocket and took out the kitchen knife, still stained with the blood of its victims Jeremy and Mr. Pratt. Doofenshmirtz and Mandy's eyes widened in shock, and Suzy began to whimper in fear. Phineas found it amusingly odd that Suzy, the one who was able to terrorize even Buford, was now afraid, but he also loved the irony of it. Throwing the knife towards his other hand, which caught the handle expertly, Phineas brought the knife forward and cut the ropes restraining the two captives. Mandy immediately took off the cloth covering her mouth and spoke.

"What are you doing?" she asked fearfully. "Let us go!"

Phineas pointed the bloodstained knife at Mandy's face, and the teenage girl could feel the freezing chill encasing the blade and smell the iron-like odor of the blood encrusted on it. A sunray reflected itself on the blade and shone its brilliant light on Mandy's eye, causing her to back away an inch to keep it away from the light.

"Why?" Phineas said, annoyed. "Why, oh _why_ do all of those hostages have to say that sentence? In television or in real life, they _have_ to say it! It's so cliched! It's so OBVIOUS that they aren't gonna be let go anytime soon, if not ever! Shut up, girl, or I'm gonna open up this little girl's neck-" He pointed the knife at Suzy's neck, and she whimpered again. "-and then YOURS!"

"I don't mean to be a bother, Phineas," Doofenshmirtz said, "but that squirrel is still out there!"

"I _KNOW_!" roared Phineas, and Doofenshmirtz, Mandy, and Suzy cringed. "Get out, you two! We're going for a little walk in the park! And don't you dare to call out for help, or ELSE!"

Mandy and Suzy obeyed, and the former took Suzy's hand as she helped her out of Norm. Doofenshmirtz took out a small radar-like device and activated it.

"According to my Squirrel-Track-Inator," he said, "the squirrel is at that gate!"

He pointed at the stone gate leading into the park, which was across the street. Phineas examined all of the pedestrians and immediately hid his knife in his pocket as he looked at Mandy and Suzy.

"Come," ordered Phineas.

The two girls nodded and they followed their two captors across the street and towards the park gate, Doofenshmirtz in front of them and Phineas close behind. Mandy looked around to see if any pedestrians were examining the scene with suspicion, but everyone was just walking around, talking to each other or in their cell phones, or waiting impatiently against the traffic lights for the walk sign to finally show itself. Mandy gulped and looked at Phineas, who too was examining the scene. She then looked at Suzy, who looked back up at her with hope, but Mandy knew that this look will remain unanswered until someone saw the cell phone she left behind inside Norm.

For now, though, they were hopelessly trapped.

* * *

Chad Sanderson parked his car alongside the car, behind a truck. Turning off the engine, Chad stepped out of the vehicle and was about to enter the cafe where he worked at when he noticed that the doors of the truck were still open, as was the engine hood. Examining the truck's interior, he realized that no one was inside. He then went to the front of the truck to examine the exposed engine. As he did so, he noticed that the engine hood sported the head of a pleasant-looking robot with fake brown hair. Dismissing it as the insignia of a company, Chad examined the engine and concluded from the smoke being emitted from it that the truck broke down and that the driver ran off to find tools to fix it.

Before Chad can leave for the cafe, the teenage boy remembered seeing a cell phone sitting in the back seat, which was still on and was displaying some sort of message. Instinctively, Chad returned to the back seat and grabbed the cell phone. When he saw the message that caught his attention, his eyes widened at what the phone read.

_"Help us! We've been abducted by 2 guys called Phineas & Doofenshmirtz! There's 2 of us: Mandy Jones & Suzy Johnson. PLEASE, HELP US!"_

"Lost, kid?"

Chad looked behind, yelping in surprise, and stared into blue eyes. Within a second, Chad felt his world fade into black...

* * *

Doofenshmirtz dove forward for the squirrel, but it noticed him and quickly scurried away, leaving the scientist to bump his head on the stone gate. While holding Suzy in his tight grip, Phineas procured his stun gun and fired several lasers at the hyperactive animal, but it was too fast for him. Being forced to help under the threat that Suzy dies, Mandy raised the net given to her and threw it into the air towards the squirrel. She missed, but the edge of the net hit the squirrel's tail, causing it to flip about. Doofenshmirtz seized the chance to fire his Coition-Inator, but the squirrel recovered and scurried away from the bubble of pure evil in a blur. Roaring with anger, Phineas pushed Suzy into Doofenshmirtz's hands and ran after the squirrel, firing his stun gun repeatedly but missing. Mandy was surprised that there were no park goers present in the area.

"AAARRRGGGHHH!" Phineas roared after missing for the umpteenth time. "WHY DO THESE DARN SQUIRRELS HAVE TO BE SO FAST?"

Finally, the squirrel reached a tree and climbed up its trunk at high speeds. Growling, Phineas began firing all over the tree wildly in hopes of catching the squirrel, but the only things that were falling were leaves and nuts. The squirrel perched itself on a branch and began squeaking at the ten-year-old, as if it were laughing at him. Phineas roared out in anger like a wild beast, and Mandy couldn't suppress a giggle that Phineas noticed.

"SHUT IT, OKAY?" he screeched.

Fortunately for Mandy, two teenagers finally passed by in time to witness Phineas's rage.

"Hey, you okay?" asked one of them. The other teenager's eyes widened as she recognized Phineas.

"Phineas?" she asked.

Phineas recognized the two teenagers as Albert, Irving's older brother, and Jenny, Candace and Stacy's best friend. He immediately stunned them, bringing them to the ground, and they both yelled out in pain.

"Phineas!" cried Albert. "What're you doing?"

"SHUT UP!" shrieked Phineas. "I'VE GOT A SQUIRREL TO CAPTURE!"

And Doofenshmirtz, Mandy, and Suzy watched in horror as Phineas began firing lasers at Albert and Jenny repeatedly, sadism and fury in his eyes. Finally, he stopped when both teenagers passed out, and he turned to the squirrel and fired a laser at it, but it scurried away again, causing Phineas to lose it, kicking the ground. When that didn't satisfy him, he suddenly attacked Albert and Jenny's unconscious bodies, kicking and beating them. Doofenshmirtz rushed forward towards Phineas with concern.

"Hey, kid, _stop_!" he cried.

Phineas glared at him, his green eyes practically on fire. "AND WHY SHOULD I?"

"We can add them to our hostage list! They apparently know you, so they must be acquainted with those other kids."

Finally, Phineas calmed down and replied, "Yeah, good point. Doofenshmirtz, drag these two away before anyone else spots us!"

"Sure thing, kiddo!"

Doofenshmirtz proceeded to drag the beaten and unconscious bodies of Albert and Jenny behind nearby bushes, while Phineas looked at the tree in search of the squirrel. Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he looked around for Mandy and Suzy, only to find a pure absence of the two hostages. Roaring out loud again, Phineas pointed his stun gun at Doofenshmirtz, who noticed it and gulped nervously.

"You _dare_ release those hostages, Doofenshmirtz?" snarled Phineas.

"No, I didn't!" Doofenshmirtz cried. "I had them in my-"

Doofenshmirtz immediately realized his mistake and braced himself for another stunning from Phineas. But there was none: Phineas just put his weapon back in his pocket.

"Great," the boy mumbled. "Not only do I have to catch a hyperactive squirrel, but my hostages are on the run!"

* * *

"Come on, Suzy!" Mandy cried as she and the four-year-old ran towards the nearest park goers, a family having a picnic.

Running like never before, Mandy didn't bother to look back to see if Phineas and Doofenshmirtz were pursuing them; she was only concerned about reaching the family and making sure Suzy doesn't slip from her grasp. Feeling the noontime breeze blow against her face, Mandy was surprised that she had gotten this far without getting tired. However, she can hear Suzy breathing laboriously, and she began to beseech Mandy to stop running.

"We can't stop now, Suzy!" replied Mandy. "We have to get help, and QUICK!"

Suzy didn't protest, but she just kept running with her babysitter. Never before had she felt so terrified. And she knew of her ability to horrify even the local bully! Now, she wanted her older brother more than ever. She always found comfort in his presence, and even though she admitted to her arch-nemesis Candace that she intended to use her brother for her purposes, the little girl had moments where she actually _loved_ her brother without having to fake it. After all, he had been so honest and so kind to her, unlike any other older brother. And now, with him gone and her in this mess, Suzy hoped this was just a mere nightmare.

Suddenly, a fist flew into the air and collided into Mandy's stomach, causing her to fall to the ground, clutching her stomach in pain. Suzy screamed as the muscular figure towered over her. Even though it wasn't Phineas or Doofenshmirtz, this new arrival was certainly bad news. The four-year-old tried to run, but she ran into the hands of a second man, whose fingers were constantly twitching.

"Oh, don't wander off, little girl!" the second man said in a fake comforting tone. "You don't wanna get lose now, do ya?"

Suzy watched as the muscular man grabbed Mandy's hair and pulled on it, lifting her head painfully and causing her to scream. Unfortunately, the family was at a far distance and couldn't hear her screams of help. Two more men stepped forward, one of them clapping while the other held an unconscious teenage boy.

"A job well done, men," said the man who was clapping. "Now, let's take them to the kid so he can join forces with us!"

"Sure thing, boss," replied the muscular man.

* * *

Doofenshmirtz didn't know why he was listening to Phineas right now. The boy had ordered him to look for the two hostages while he took care of the pesky squirrel and also took on the duty of standing guard for the newest hostages. But Doofenshmirtz didn't **want** to anymore. In fact, he didn't _want_ to be acquainted with Phineas anymore. But why wasn't he running? He was alone now, alone with only his thoughts as company. He has a chance to make a run to the nearest park goer for help, but he didn't take it. And yet, there was no Phineas to stop him. Looking inside a bush aimlessly, Doofenshmirtz slapped his forehead in stress. Why _won't_ he run? He didn't want this to continue anymore, so why shouldn't he?

Doofenshmirtz believed that it was because his need to become evil was in the way. Yes, that's it! He has a conflict of beliefs, that's what. He _wanted_ to get help, but every time Doofenshmirtz got the chance to make a run for it, he always remembered all of those replies he made to his fellow L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. members' comments about him having a low quantity of evil, that he was indeed megalomaniacal, truly _evil_.

But is he really evil? After all, the scientist wants to get help, to stop the force of evil that was his ally. Could this be because he saw his ex-wife and beloved daughter get imprisoned?

Doofenshmirtz approached a nearby tree and slammed his fist on the trunk. This question has been recently troubling him gravely.

_"Am I evil?"_

Doofenshmirtz sighed and asked himself, "Am I _really_ evil?"

"Yes, yes you are."

Doofenshmirtz glanced to his right, and saw a group of four men standing beside him. One had raven-black hair and blue eyes, and was wearing a grin as sadistic as Phineas's on his face. Another had neat brown hair and sported a small scar running across his left cheek. The third was the largest of the group, with a muscular build, a bald head, and a small mustache; Doofenshmirtz noted that without the mustache, the man would look a lot like the Regurgitator, a villain he temporarily worked with last month. And finally, the fourth and final man was probably the most disturbing physically: he was tall and terribly emaciated with greasy, long black hair that hung over his eyes, and he had a pockmarked face, bloodshot gray eyes that never stood still, a slouch that seemed much worse than Doofenshmirtz's, gangly and bony fingers that twitched constantly, and horribly yellow teeth that were bared as the man smiled an eerie grin. Doofenshmirtz noticed that the muscular man and the emaciated man were holding Mandy and Suzy, respectively; their mouths were covered with cloth again. There was also an unconscious teenage boy in tow.

"I beg your pardon?" asked Doofenshmirtz.

"He said 'Yes, yes you are' in response to your question 'Am I _really_ evil?'," replied the man with the brown hair and scarred cheek.

"Thank you, Roderick," replied the man with the black hair and blue eyes. "So, Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, I presume?"

"Yes." Doofenshmirtz raised an eyebrow. "How the heck d'you know my name?"

"Roderick here is a computer whiz, he can look up absolutely _anything_," the black-haired man replied, pointing at the brown-haired man. "My name's David. I wish I can tell you my surname, but we are on the run, so it's best not to. This here is, like I said, Roderick." He pointed at the brown-haired man. "This is our muscle, Byron." He pointed at the muscular man. "And this is our last-resort weapon, Sid." He pointed at the emaciated man, who giggled sadistically.

"Uh, hi," greeted Doofenshmirtz, confused. "And why, exactly, are you interested in me?"

"Half of our interest's focused on you, Doofenshmirtz," replied the man called David. "The other half is focused on one Phineas Flynn. We wanna join you two. By the way, where is Phineas?"

"At that tree over there, trying to catch a squirrel." Doofenshmirtz pointed at a faraway tree, where Phineas was still having some difficulty in his task.

"A _squirrel_?" asked Byron, confused.

"It's a long story. Let's just say it's our ticket out of this park."

"Well then," David said, "let's help you out."

Doofenshmirtz found himself following the four men back to Phineas, who was throwing fits of rage as he continued to fire lasers at the squirrel only to miss. The scientist found it funny seeing that Phineas was having as much of a hard time getting a hit from the stun gun as he was when he was trying to see what his Very-Very-Bad-Inator does.

"Hey, Phineas!" called David. "Want some help?"

Phineas looked at David. "And just _who_ are you?" he snarled, pointing his stun gun at the man.

"Phineas, take it easy," said Doofenshmirtz. "These four wanna join us! Look! They managed to retrieve the two girls that ran off on us! They also have another hostage!"

The ten-year-old examined the four newcomers' handiwork suspiciously before nodding in approval. "Knock yourselves out," he replied. "We could use some more members." He then looked at the teenage boy, who was stirring. "And we _definitely_ could use some more hostages."

"Excellent!" David said, clapping his hands together. "Now, Roderick, get that squirrel for our new boss here!"

"Sure thing, boss!" replied Roderick, procuring a net gun. The man fired, and the net easily ensnared the animal as it struggled hopelessly.

"Hm," Phineas noted. "Nice shot."

"Yeah, Roderick here used to be a sniper for the military," replied David. "But now, he became a member of the Tri-State Bombers!"

"So you four are skaters?"

"What do ya mean?"

"The Tri-State Bombers are a skating team. I would know that because my maternal grandmother is a member."

David looked at Phineas in shock. "Are you telling me we've been _ripped off_?"

Phineas shrugged nonchalantly. "I guess so."

David turned to Roderick and said to him, "Make a note: once we're through with my ex-girlfriend, then we go after the ones that dared to use our rightful name without permission!"

"Note taken," replied Roderick simply.

"Alright, enough chitchat!" ordered Phineas. "Let's go, newbies, Doofenshmirtz. We've got a long day ahead of us!"

And the six villains, plus the five hostages and the squirrel, made their way out of the park and towards the still-offline Norm, his doors now closed to prevent the stirring of suspicion thanks to the four Tri-State Bombers members. Mandy looked around desperately at the civilians to see if they were being attracted by this activity, but unfortunately, everyone was too caught up with their day to be concerned.

They were _definitely_ trapped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now...this is where the quality sort of takes a nosedive for me. Now, it's pretty clear that my fifteen-year-old self wanted to stuff as many characters into this fic as possible. You know, to raise the stakes higher and make the fic a lot more epic. But I feel like all this hostage-taking has now gotten redundant, and it feels like an easy way to shoehorn all these characters in. There's a multitude of ways I could've introduced these characters, ways that present-day me is now fully aware of. There's always something new to learn, even from your super-old works, am I right?
> 
> But hey, if this is what it took to get the original fic to 100+ reviews, then I guess something about it worked, huh?
> 
> And on the bright side, at least I was able to introduce the Shadow to David's group and have them join forces, which is going to be vital for the chapters ahead, if you know what I mean. ;)
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	15. Tough Choices, Part 1 of 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Red Triangle prepares its ascendancy in power, while Isabella makes a tough decision regarding her crush on Phineas. Meanwhile, one of the Red Triangle members goes rogue on the organization.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YouTube sure is full of surprises. I just came across an old promo of "Phineas and Ferb"...which was a crossover with "Shark Tank". Yes, this was real. Look it up on YouTube. It's hilarious. XD
> 
> ENJOY!
> 
> P.S.: Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

_ **Doofenshmirtz Evil Inc-** _

However, before the evil jingle can be finished, the DEI sign is suddenly unscrewed by Doof Clones, who promptly destroy it and bring the pieces into Doofenshmirtz's laboratory. Monkeys enslaved by the Monkey-Enslave-Inator then proceed to place a new sign on the now-empty space. It was the Red Triangle sign, written in capitalized, bold, and red letters that are followed by none other than the insignia of a red triangle. A new jingle, tough and triumphant, roared out the new name of the DEI building.

_ **RED TRIANGLE DIVISION HEADQUARTERS!** _

"What in the world?" exclaimed Doofenshmirtz as he watched the quartet that sung the DEI jingle was escorted out by Sharpeard and Blair, while Rodney trained the heavy metal band. The evil scientist threw a shocked look at Phineas. "Hey, kid! Why'd you replace my sign, my quartet, and my jingle!"

"It's ridiculous, that's why," replied Phineas nonchalantly as he continued to modify one of Diminuitive's Inators.

Doofenshmirtz placed his hands on his hips angrily. "What do ya mean by 'ridiculous'?"

Phineas finally faced him with his green eyes and replied, "Number one: having a sign that has 'Evil' on it will attract the attention of the authorities. Number two: having a quartet to sing a jingle instead of a tough band specializing in things like heavy metal has 'Wrong' written all over it. Number three: having a jingle in the first place is, like I said, _ridiculous_!"

"But, this place still has a jingle!"

"This isn't a jingle, it's identification! A tough one at that! Don't you dare contradict me again, Doofenshmirtz, or your ex-wife and your daughter both get it!"

Doofenshmirtz was about to protest some more, but when Phineas took out a walkie-talkie, the evil scientist closed his mouth.

"Good boy," replied Phineas in a tone that seemed to regard Doofenshmirtz as a puppy being trained, and he put the walkie-talkie back in his pocket. "Now, where was I? Oh, right!"

The ten-year-old hopped off of the pedestal he was standing on to reach the Inator and approached a Doof Clone who was wearing a hardhat and holding a clipboard.

"You!" Phineas called. "How go the reconstruction?"

The Doof Clone looked at him and replied modestly, "Very well, boss. Let me show you around to see what we have."

Phineas, Doofenshmirtz, and the Doof Clone began walking around the DEI laboratory, now the Red Triangle laboratory. First, the trio approached a section of the lab, where Doof Clones were taking down the wall exteriors and placing several traps Doofenshmirtz previously used to capture Perry whenever the agent arrived to thwart his schemes.

The Doof Clone announced, "Using the Pizzazium Infinionite you stole from the Googolplex Mall, we have used some of it to give a boost of energy to Doofenshmirtz's traps. Now, the moment they capture a subject, said traps will never let go, they'll never break, and they're escape-proof unless you activate the remotes."

The trio then walked into the middle of the lab, where all of the Inators made by the members of L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. (or, in Rodney's case, Inizers) were being worked on by monkeys enslaved by the Monkey-Enslave-Inator. "All of these Inators have more power now that their self-destruct buttons are removed," said the Doof Clone, "but we have given them _more_ power using the Pizzazium Infinionite."

"Excellent," replied Phineas, just before his attention was caught by a giant, floating baby head. "ALL RIGHT, WHO LET THE GIANT, FLOATING BABY HEAD IN!"

"That's mine," Bloodpudding said, stepping forward.

"Get that _thing_ out of here, Bloodpudding!" Phineas growled, and Bloodpudding gulped.

"I can't do that. That's one of my inventions."

"You invented a _giant, floating baby head_?"

"Actually, I didn't; I found it floating around in the park. I became its owner and I thought it might make a powerful weapon. I mean, I can't help but feel that this thing has potential in there somewhere."

Phineas snickered. "Yeah, a potential to suck humans as pacifiers!"

"Good one, boss," replied the Doof Clone, giggling.

"Thank you." Phineas turned to Bloodpudding. "All right, we'll keep that thing. But if it isn't effective in battle, then you find a way to get rid of it!"

"Yes, boss." And with that, Bloodpudding left.

"Now-" Phineas stared at the Doof Clone. "-continue with the tour."

"All right, boss," the Doof Clone replied as he escorted Phineas and Doofenshmirtz to a room where the O.W.C.A. agents and superiors were training. "Using the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator on the O.W.C.A., we have gained possibly the most effective portion of our army. With the agents' unmatched fighting skills and the superiors' efficient commanding expertise, these guys will play a key role in leading us to victory. The O.W.C.A. interns have proven themselves useful as well." The trio walked towards a neighboring computer room, where numerous interns were operating on rows of computers. "These interns are skilled with computers, and now that they are under our influence, they can look up anything for us in a matter of split-seconds. Plus, they can help with cleaning the place and getting our laundry!"

Phineas looked at the Doof Clone with an eyebrow raised, and the clone said, "What? I thought I'd add that!" Phineas's eyebrow was still raised. "They can do that, boss!"

"If you insist," replied Phineas. "Now, on with the tour!"

"Sure thing, boss."

The trio walked into back into the main room, towards a section that held an army of one-eyed robots that were being finished by O.W.C.A. interns.

"The Red Triangle Robots," announced the Doof Clone. "These ones-" He pointed at the robots standing in the leftmost rows, which were red and were armed with machine guns and missile launchers. "-specialize in ranged weapons. They're the Range-Class Robots, all put into three different classes: the Gamma Sub-Class-" He pointed at robots armed with machine guns. "-the Beta Sub-Class-" The clone pointed at robots armed with missile launchers and cannons. "-and the Alpha Sub-Class." He pointed at robots armed with every ranged weapon in existence.

"These robots here-" The clone pointed at robots standing in the rightmost rows, all green and armed with swords, maces, and other close-combat weapons. "-specialize in melee weapons. They're the Melee-Class Robots, also put into three classes called the Gamma Sub-Class-" He pointed at robots armed with swords, circular saws, and bows. "-the Beta Sub-Class-" He pointed at robots armed with swords, double-bladed swords, bows, axes, and brass knuckles. "-and the Alpha Sub-Class." He pointed at robots armed with every melee weapon imaginable.

"These ones here-" The clone then motioned at robots standing beside the Range-Class Robots, all blue, armed with machine guns and missile launchers, and possessing jetpacks. "-specialize in aerial combat. They're the Aerial-Class Robots. These ones over here-" He pointed at yellow robots armed with shields and menacing spears. "-will help defend the front, rear, and side sections of our battalions in combat. They're the Defense-Class Robots."

"One word: awesome," Phineas said.

"Glad you liked it," the Doof Clone replied. "Now, on to the Goozim room!"

The trio walked into another room, which held cages containing strange creatures with brown fur that seemed to take up the space of their respective cells. Doofenshmirtz recognized them as Goozims, animals native in Druelselstein.

"Using Tancien's Teleport-Stuff-From-Afar-Inator," the Doof Clone said, "we have brought a Goozim in our midst. And using Doofenshmirtz's Copy-And-Paste-Inator, we have made clones of it, so we now have an army of ferocious Goozims!"

"Goozims?" asked Phineas. "Not a very creative name. But hey, I can't think of anything else."

The trio then walked into another room, probably the largest room in the laboratory, a room Doofenshmirtz barely used; in fact, Doofenshmirtz was shocked to remember he had such a room. In it was the dome-shaped machine with the many arms hanging from its sides, the same contraption Phineas used to abduct Pinky and many O.W.C.A. employees. It was being operated on by Bulkare and several Doof Clones, enslaved monkeys, and O.W.C.A. superiors.

Bulkare spotted the trio and greeted, "Hey, boss! We've finished adding the Pizzazium Infinionite you've assigned us into the power core of this...this...what's this thing called?"

"Doomsday," replied Phineas simply, and both Doofenshmirtz and Bulkare shuddered at the simple, yet eerie choice of name. Fortunately, Phineas didn't notice, as he boarded the Doomsday machine followed by the Doof Clone and approached a hypnotized Major Monogram, who was operating on the keyboard mounted at the top of the device.

"Monogram!" Phineas greeted sternly, and the major turned to him.

"Major Monogram, at your service, sir!" Monogram replied as if he were in a training exercise.

"Is everything going well with reconstructing my best device?"

"YES, SIR!"

"Does it have enough power to destroy entire cities?"

"SIR, YES SIR!"

"Is it guaranteed to help us conquer this miserable planet?"

"SIR, YES SIR!"

"Excellent." Phineas turned to the Doof Clone. "Now, is that it?"

"Yes, sir," the Doof Clone replied.

"Good." Phineas then threw his arms in the air, much like a cliched Saturday morning cartoon villain. "SOON, THIS WORLD WILL KNEEL BEFORE ME! AND NO ONE WILL-"

"Phineas! I've finished setting up the buffet!"

Norm was standing in the doorway, holding a tray of food and drinks. Phineas growled.

"NORM! YOU INTERRUPTED MY SPEECH! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW _LONG_ I SPENT PREPARING THAT SPEECH?"

"My apologies, Phineas," replied Norm, and he left the room.

"Stupid Norm, can't do much right..." Phineas growled. He then turned to the Doof Clone. "Continue supervising! I shall go attend to a _private matter_."

"Yes, sir."

Phineas nodded and stalked away to an unknown location. Meanwhile, Doofenshmirtz approached his clone.

"Why are you calling _him_ 'sir' and 'boss', me?" asked the scientist angrily. "_I'm_ your creator! Without the Copy-And-Paste-Inator, you wouldn't be here, neither would the rest of you! _I_ should be your rightful boss, your 'sir'!"

"I know, Doofenshmirtz," the Doof Clone replied, "but the boss is much more successful than you in committing acts of evil. Under his command, we've already gained ourselves ten captives that are guaranteed to lure in those kids and the inventions the boss greatly desires."

"But I'm your _creator_! At least give me a share of 'sir'!"

"Sorry, Doofenshmirtz, but I can't do that. Not until the boss approves of it."

Doofenshmirtz growled furiously as his clone walked away to supervise, smoke about to blow out of his ears. _Now_ he was officially regretting letting Phineas join DEI. And thanks to his decision, Phineas has usurped his position as the leader of the evil force out to conquer the Tri-State Area! Worse yet, Phineas has set his sights onto something greater than the Tri-State Area: _the entire world_! This was going against all of his principles of evil! He couldn't believe everything was going the other way around on this one-way road of his. And now, his ex-wife and his daughter were suffering the consequences, as was his ex-girlfriend and her husband.

But he didn't feel any compulsion to stop it, and it was tearing Doofenshmirtz's spirit to shreds. The evil scientist again remembered the declaration he made to himself long ago that he would dedicate himself to promoting evil and committing vile acts. It was a declaration that stuck to his heart and soul like a magnet. The only thing he could do was to let this all progress while he stood by at the sidelines.

But standing at the sidelines wasn't good enough for Doofenshmirtz anymore. He _wanted_ to stop all of this, and yet...he couldn't.

_"I _need_ to stop this,"_ Doofenshmirtz mused, _"but _how_?"_

* * *

Isabella charily eyed the man that was currently in the single-room prison containing herself and her nine cellmates. The suspended lamp didn't do much to help Isabella examine the man's physicality, but she was able to conclude was that he seemed to be around his mid-thirties, almost the same age as her mother, and he possessed an average build. She knew that he was an accomplice of Phineas's, for he didn't do anything to ensure her freedom and that of her acquaintances, all of whom were staring at the man too.

Finally, Linda asked, "Who in the world are you?"

"Just a good friend of your son's," replied the man.

"Can I please talk to him?"

The man smirked, clearing savoring the moment. "I'm afraid not. He's not concerned in conversing with puny wimps like you, no matter what relation you have with him."

"Don't call my wife a wimp, you son of a-" began Lawrence, but the man shushed him, smiling.

"Watch your mouth, sir! There are children present."

Lawrence gritted his teeth, and Isabella gulped, for she had never seen him so angry. Linda, on the other hand, looked really nervous: she apparently saw her second husband angry before and she seemed to know what would result.

"Please!" Vanessa beseeched. "Let us go!"

"How _cliched_," the man replied, kneeling down toward Vanessa. Charlene inched herself toward her daughter in concern. "You know, I wonder why you're in here, you and your mother. After all, you're the relatives of one of Phineas's allies, and besides-" He put his index finger under Vanessa's trembling chin to bring it closer to his face. "-you're so _pretty_. That should've been enough to prevent him from imprisoning you. Then again, he probably saw you as a threat to his plan, as my acquaintance acquired information about you and your father during his experiments. The boss is always right too, so-" He lightly scratched Vanessa's chin as he pulled away his finger from it. "-I'm gonna let that one go."

It was silent for a moment, and Isabella could feel a claustrophobic air billow into the atmosphere. Finally, Mandy broke the silence.

"Please, at least let Suzy and this guy go." She motioned to Chad, who was holding his forehead as it bled. "Suzy's just a little girl, and he's bleeding. If this keeps up, he'll lose too much and he'll die!"

"Do I really _care_?" The man procured not a stun gun, but a shiny, menacing revolver with a silencer installed, and aimed it at Chad's head. "If you want, I'll put him out of his misery instantly. You can all look away..."

"No, don't!" Jenny cried. "That's murder, one of the evils that disturb the peace in the world!"

"I know. And I serve evil, so I don't care about that too."

"I need to go to the bathroom," said Albert as he held his crotch. "Seriously, I need to. You can accompany me there and then bring me back here once I'm done-"

"Do what you need to do here," the man said, aiming his firearm at the teenage boy, "but I'm not gonna escort you to the bathroom, no matter what. I have orders from Phineas to keep you all locked up in here at all measures!"

"Phineas can't do that to us!" Lawrence snarled. "I'm his father, and she's his mother!" He pointed at Linda, who gulped.

"_You're_ his father?" The man then threw back his head and burst into laughter. "AHAHAHAHAHA! HOW _RIDICULOUS_! You call yourself Phineas's _father_? As I can recall, when my friend Roderick looked up info on Phineas, it stated in his records that his father is one Phillip Daniel Flynn, not you, Lawrence Anthony Fletcher!"

"It doesn't matter if I'm not related to him biologically; I'll always be Phineas's father as long as our love knows no boundaries, love that you apparently don't know of."

The man's smile became more pronounced, and he made a slashing movement with his arm, the one holding the revolver; Lawrence fell to the ground like a pile of bricks knocking over as the barrel of the revolver slapped his face hard. Everyone gasped in fear and horror, and Linda inched over to her husband's side while the man snickered, sadism burning in his eyes.

"You're right, Fletcher," the man said, "I do not know of this love you speak about. But what I _do_ know is that this love doesn't exist anymore. It disappeared the moment Phineas decided to take you and your wife hostage. _Now _what does that make you?"

Lawrence looked up at the man, a bruise on his cheek, and finally, the British man began to sob like a pained animal. The sound of it, despite it being soft, still assaulted Isabella's eardrums and she was hurt to know that adults do cry, no matter how tough they seem. Rage shot up into Isabella's brain, and she looked at the man that insulted the father of her crush, fire practically present in her eyes. She didn't care if the man was armed with a revolver.

"You know," she snarled, "since you don't realize what kind of love Phineas and Lawrence have to one another, and the fact that it's still present no matter what, I know what that makes you. A savage, uncaring, arrogant, evil MONSTER."

The man stared at her with shocked eyes before he smiled.

"And what's your name, little girl?" he asked calmly.

"Isabella."

"Isabella. A Spanish, Italian, and French name meaning 'beautiful'. A perfect choice for you, considering your looks." He stroked her black hair, and she shuddered slightly. "My name's David. A Hebrew name meaning 'beloved'. HA! And my parents abused me ever since I was born! Ah well, I like my name and I'm not changing it.

"Ya know, I knew someone who had hair that was as black as yours." David was now examining Isabella's hair. "She was a good woman too, a fine one. We were so close to one another, as if we were in a bond crafted by the heavens themselves. It was so perfect for such a while. I had a feeling it would never end. I was proven wrong ten years ago: she betrayed my trust." David stopped stroking Isabella's hair and began to tighten his grip on the hairs that still remained in his hand; Isabella feared he might rip them out and tears slowly welled in her eyes. "She betrayed _me_. She broke that bond that held us together. And now, I had to _rot_ in a cell for three stinkin' years. It was a good thing me and my allies found a secret passage out of that godforsaken hellhole. But those three years felt more like three _lifetimes_. And now, I'll get myself even with her. I'll make her _pay_."

"Nice to hear that, David."

Phineas had opened the cell door and entered the room. Linda and Lawrence gasped, and Suzy whimpered in fear.

"Anything you need, Phineas?" asked David.

"Escort all of the hostages to the main room," Phineas ordered. "We're about to have an exchange with those wretched kids. Make sure the video is efficient and is ensured that the kids will surrender those inventions to us; they can't afford to succeed like they did yesterday. But leave Isabella here, for I want to have a little chat with her first before we get on with our business."

"Sure thing, sir."

David took out a set of keys and unlocked all of the hostages except for Isabella from the walls. He then escorted them out of the cell and looked at Isabella.

"It was nice meeting you, Isabella," he said.

"N-n-nice me-meeting you t-too," replied Isabella fearfully. David smiled and closed the door behind him, leaving her alone in the cell with Phineas.

Phineas looked down at Isabella and said, "It must've been a hard time, having to be cooped up in this damp cell for many hours, am I correct?"

"Y-y-yes..."

"Well then, I pity you, greatly. It was really unnecessary of me, throwing you in this cell with the others in the first place. After all, why decide to throw away such a beautiful piece of art as if it were a worthless piece of garbage? Art like you."

Isabella's eyes widened. She never expected Phineas to call her beautiful. "Come again?"

Phineas gently grabbed Isabella and pulled her up so he can bring her into a dramatic embrace. Their faces were so close to one another that their noses were touching, and Isabella became fearful for what Phineas had in store for her.

"You know, Isabella," he said, "when I first met you at that backyard, I classified you as an obstacle to my plans of world domination. But simultaneously, I was overwhelmed by how _beautiful_ you looked. And finally, after two days of pondering this beauty of yours, I finally realized that there is something in this world I need besides my need of power. You."

Isabella gasped. Was Phineas saying what she thought he was saying?

"What are you saying?" asked Isabella.

"I love you, Isabella Garcia-Shapiro," replied Phineas.

Phineas drove his point home when he pulled Isabella closer to him and their lips bonded into a kiss. Isabella was shocked when she found herself returning the kiss almost immediately. However, her fears slowly washed away and was replaced by a tide of euphoria that engulfed her heart and soul. It was possibly the most perfect event in the world for her, and she didn't care anymore about what was progressing. In fact, she felt the cell and the entire world slip away from her mind, but she didn't care; as long as Phineas and her still remained, still kissing, then Isabella knew that she was in a world where she always wanted to be. The girl lifted one of her feet, dirty from the poorly-cleaned floor, up into the air as the minutes extended into eternity and Phineas's admission flowed all around Isabella in a vortex, like euphonious music. Finally, after at least five minutes, the two parted, and the feeling of eternity was shattered.

At first, Isabella was glad she finally kissed Phineas and he returned the kiss. But when she opened her eyes and stared into the eyes of her new lover, that eerie green that pronounced his evil, she felt the cell coming back to her. Shock shot up into Isabella's brain, and she finally understood the irony of the situation. Phineas was admitting his love for her, and yet, it was during a time where she is locked up in a cell at his decree. It was certainly a circumstance she never imagined of that would lead to this world-stopping moment.

But should she accept his love? For seven years, from the moment she first met him, Isabella had always hoped he would reveal his true feelings towards her, and that the two of them would live their own happy ending, like a fairy tale or something. But now that it was finally happening, Isabella remembered the rest of her cellmates, who were most likely suffering outside, and the fact that Phineas didn't display even the slightest hint of remorse for them. And could have Phineas just started feeling those emotions because his selfishness now needed a girl to stand by his side? Isabella could see her future where she was always cleaning the house while Phineas gave more decrees to the world, where she had to be by Phineas's side in bed, where she watched at Phineas's side as prisoners fought to the death while Phineas cackled with glee.

She always wanted her dream to come true. But now that it has, she just knew that it didn't turn out to be the way she wanted anymore.

"No."

"_No_?" Phineas exclaimed, his eyes widening. "What do you mean by 'no'?"

"I mean 'no' by 'no', Phineas," replied Isabella. "I love you too, Phineas, I really do. But I loved the old you, where you just wanted to have fun, where you wanted to make every day of summer count for yourself and others. Others like me. You cared so much for everyone, and now, all you care about it yourself, and that's something about you that I don't love!"

"I _cared_ for others?" Phineas looked disgusted. "REVOLTING!"

Isabella lost it. She grabbed Phineas's shirt and yelled into his face as she started to cry, "PLEASE, PHINEAS! I DON'T WANT THIS TO CONTINUE! PLEASE, I WANT THE OLD YOU TO COME BACK! _PLEASE_! I WANT YOU TO COME BACK, PHINEAS! I LOVE YOU, PHINEAS!"

Isabella's sight was blurry with tears, but she couldn't help but notice a flash of blue. Phineas smirked.

"Okay, so you don't love me," he said. He roughly grabbed her and escorted her out of the cell. "But I can help you change your mind..."

* * *

Doofenshmirtz watched sadly as Vanessa and Charlene were tied to their own chairs along with the rest of the hostages. The two females looked back at him with beseeching looks, but when their response was a glum look from the scientist as he began to operate the camera that was placed in front of the captives, they knew that he will not change his mind. Vanessa bowed her head in sadness, while Charlene gave her daughter a comforting look.

Suddenly, a toy helicopter outfitted with miniaturized machine guns appeared out of nowhere and began firing on the Red Triangle, riddling every member with pebbles. The captives watched as two boys emerged from behind one of Rodney's Inizers, armed with what appeared to be water guns, and dashed towards them. One had curly orange hair and a pointed nose, and was wearing half-moon glasses, while the other boy was bulky and had yellowish-brown hair shaped like a dome, with a large round nose. Mandy gasped upon recognizing them.

"THADDEUS!" she cried. "THOR!"

"Don't worry, sis!" cried Thaddeus. "We'll save you!"

"Not if I can help it!" the Doof Clone wearing the hardhat exclaimed, manning Doofenshmirtz's Straitjacket-Inator.

However, Thaddeus redirected the toy helicopter to the Doof Clone, and it opened fire on the Straitjacket-Inator, causing it to explode and engulf the clone in the blast, sending his charred body flying into a wall and his hardhat dropping to the ground. Thor grabbed the hardhat and procured modified scissors, which he used to reshape the hardhat into a disc that he threw at the ropes restraining the hostages, cutting them and allowing them all to break free. Meanwhile, Suzy's poodle, outfitted with a cannon, appeared and barked, firing pulses from the weapon that sent the Red Triangle members backward.

"Saggy!" exclaimed Suzy happily, and the poodle ran up to its owner and licked her face in joy.

"Saggy?" asked Thaddeus.

"Short for 'Sagave'," Mandy replied. "By the way, how'd you find us?"

"We put a tracking device on you, just in case!"

"Come on, everyone!" cried Lawrence. "We have to get out of here! Chad here is bleeding severely!"

"Oh, you're not escaping just yet!"

Phineas had entered the room, holding his knife against Isabella's neck. Thaddeus's eyes widened as he recognized the newcomer.

"You!" he cried. "You kidnapped our sister!"

"And with good reason!" replied Phineas. "Now, surrender everyone, or I'm opening up Isabella's fine neck!"

The attempted escapees knew that the fight was won, so they all knelt down on their knees. Phineas smiled evilly and threw Isabella to the ground, at Linda and Lawrence's knees. The girl ran to the Flynn-Fletcher parents and embraced them, while Phineas began encircling the hostages.

"Looks like we have some more hostages, everyone!" Phineas announced, and everyone but Doofenshmirtz began cheering in triumph. But then, Phineas lost himself in thought and finally said after a while, "Actually, we don't need anymore hostages. We have enough. Besides, we have only one small cell. We can't afford to have a little pileup in there. Kill those two." He pointed at Vanessa and Charlene, and the two of them, plus Doofenshmirtz, gasped. "We don't need them. Those kids won't bother to save people that are relatives of one of our members."

"Wait, _what_?" Doofenshmirtz exclaimed. "You can't do that! They're my family!"

"Okay, then," Phineas said, snapping his fingers. David aimed his revolver at Doofenshmirtz's head, and Sid giggled with joy. "You can join them. You're not of much use to us as well."

"I'm so glad there's someone who thinks the same things I do," interjected Rodney.

Doofenshmirtz exclaimed fearfully, "No, no, no! Please don't kill me! I don't wanna die!"

"Then let those two die," replied Phineas, and Doofenshmirtz stared at Vanessa and Charlene, who returned his gaze with pleading looks. The evil scientist gulped and looked at Phineas, who was impatiently waiting for a reply.

Finally, Doofenshmirtz issued a reply, and the hostages all gasped at what he had to say.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"G-go on. K-k-ki-kill them."

"With pleasure," David replied and aimed his revolver at Charlene and Vanessa.

Suddenly, Phineas said calmly, "David, stop. Give the gun to Doofenshmirtz."

"But, boss-" began David, but Phineas cut him off.

"That's an order."

Grumbling angrily, David handed the evil scientist his firearm. Doofenshmirtz stared at the weapon, then at Vanessa and Charlene, then at Phineas. "What is this?" he asked.

"If you want them to die," replied Phineas, "then _you_ kill them yourself. Let us all see how evil you are."

"Yeah, Doofenshmirtz!" Rodney said tauntingly. "You said you're evil, then let's have a look-see!"

Doofenshmirtz looked at the gun, gulped, and then aimed it at Vanessa's forehead. Vanessa gasped, and tears dripped from her eyes; the scientist briefly flinched before pressing the safety button. As he did so, he found himself staring at a younger Vanessa. He knew his conscience was talking to him, but his compulsion to pull the trigger was waging a good fight.

"Dad," Vanessa pleaded, "please! Don't!"

"Heinz," begged Charlene, "don't do this! This is your daughter!"

"I'm sorry," replied Doofenshmirtz.

But there was no bang. The gun hadn't fired yet; instead, it trembled greatly. Vanessa's sobbing began to decrease, and Phineas finally groaned.

"We don't have all day, Doofenshmirtz!" he snarled.

"Heinz!" cried Linda. "Why are you doing this? This is your _family_!"

"Do you really think he cares, Linda?" asked Phineas.

Finally, Doofenshmirtz found the pathway he needed to stop Phineas. He aimed David's revolver at Phineas and replied, "Yes. I _do_ care."

Doofenshmirtz then aimed the gun at a button on the master computer and fired. The single bullet hit the button, destroying it in the process. The roof of DEI opened up, bathing everyone with sunlight. Since everyone was spending the day in darkness, the Red Triangle members all flinched, while Doofenshmirtz motioned the captives to come with him. He then turned to a room and called out, "NORM!"

The robot walked into the main room. "Yes, sir?"

"We're leaving the Red Triangle, and we're taking these guys-" He pointed at the hostages, and Vanessa and Charlene gasped with shock and happiness. "-with us!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Wait a minute!" Phineas cried. "Why is _he_ following orders from you, not me?"

"Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz created me," Norm replied. "As a result, I serve only him!"

"EVERYONE, HANG ON TO NORM!" Doofenshmirtz cried, and everyone latched themselves onto the robot servant. "ACTIVATE YOUR FEET-MOUNTED JETPACKS, NORM!"

"I can just do this," Norm replied optimistically, and he transformed into a plane that everyone boarded. Doofenshmirtz's eyes widened.

"Wow. I REALLY need to read your instruction manual now."

"Yes, yes you do."

"_STOP THEM_!" screeched Phineas, but it was too late: Norm had already activated his jet engines and flew out of the DEI roof and into the glorious sky.

Inside, Doofenshmirtz smiled at what he just did, and he looked back at the DEI building and cried, "EAT NORM'S DUST, SUCKERS, BECAUSE I _QUIT_!"

"Dad!" Vanessa cried, hugging her father happily. "You _do_ care about us!"

"I'm very sorry, Vanessa," replied Doofenshmirtz, staring at her seriously. "When all of this is over, I will find a way to make it all up to you and your mother. I promise. But first, we need to get to those kids and warn them about what's happening!"

"Heinz?" asked Linda. "We need to go to the hospital first, and _now_. Chad here's bleeding."

"Don't worry, Norm can handle that."

And lo and behold, a first-aid kit emerged from the side of Linda's seat; she seized it and used it to tend to Chad's wound. Meanwhile, Albert gasped, attracting everyone's attention.

"What is it?" asked Jenny.

"Uh, guys," announced Albert, "we've got COMPANY!"

Albert was right. Flying at them in pursuit were nine Aerial-Class Robots, ridden by Doofenshmirtz's L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. colleagues.

"THINK YOU CAN ESCAPE, EH?" Rodney roared. "WELL, _THINK AGAIN_!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looking at this chapter, I think I really like how it went, in the end. Maybe I could've made it a little less dark with Doof being pressured into trying to kill his family, but even so, I think this was great for in terms of setting up more character development for him. And then there's the whole setup of the Red Triangle's army. Suffice to say, the Shadow is proving to be quite the formidable foe for all our heroes.
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	16. Escape from DEI, Part 2 of 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter's title says it all!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Great googly moogly! I sure have been on an updating streak when it comes to this fic lately. I guess it is because I've been having some difficulties writing my newer stories in general. So, since I just can't get anywhere with writing at the moment, I think I'll get my creative mojo flowing again by re-posting this chapter for you all!
> 
> ENJOY!
> 
> P.S.: Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

"Norm!" Doofenshmirtz cried. "Can you go any faster?"

"I can, sir," replied Norm. "Why?"

"Because we've got enemies on our tail!"

Norm's jet engines immediately increased their power, and the thirteen passengers were all nearly thrown back by the fast speeds the robot took as it evaded L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N.

"Buckle up, everyone!" Norm optimistically announced, and the passengers obeyed.

"AERIAL-CLASS ROBOTS," Rodney ordered outside, "FIRE!"

The robots deployed their weapons and began firing at Norm, mostly missing but managing to land a few good shots at the robot's exterior. Doofenshmirtz gasped with horror as a bullet broke into the cockpit, grazed Vanessa's brown hair, and hit an empty seat, spraying the scientist with pieces of cushioning as it exploded. Angrily, Doofenshmirtz procured David's revolver, which he still kept.

"Norm, open up the cockpit!" ordered Doofenshmirtz.

"I can just do this," Norm replied, and Doofenshmirtz's seat automatically moved out of the cockpit, while two machine guns aimed at L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. emerged from his sides. Two triggers appeared on Doofenshmirtz's arm-rests.

"Wow. Okay, I should start reading your instruction manual after I'm done shooting at L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N."

Doofenshmirtz then grasped the triggers and aimed the guns directly at his former colleagues.

"YOU NEARLY KILLED MY DAUGHTER!" he roared. "EAT BULLETS!"

Issuing a battle cry, the scientist began firing the guns repeatedly at the robots. After missing several times, he managed to land a couple of perfect shots on the robot being ridden by Diminuitive, causing it to shut down and fall to the earth. Diminuitive was able to detach himself from the robot and then activate his parachute, allowing him to land safely on the top of another building. Meanwhile, Rodney watched with anger as Diminuitive's offline robot crashed onto the street and looked at his own.

"Focus all of your firepower on Doofenshmirtz!" he ordered.

"Yes, sir," the robot replied mechanically as it opened fire on Doofenshmirtz, the bullets ripping through his lab coat.

"AW, POOH!" exclaimed the scientist. "DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH MONEY I HAVE TO SPEND KEEPING THIS THING IN SHAPE?"

"Apparently a lot," Rodney replied as his robot continued to fire. Doofenshmirtz cried out in pain as a bullet hit him squarely in the shoulder, and he pressed a button that slid his seat back into the cockpit.

"DAD!" Vanessa shrieked as she grabbed her father and pulling him back into the safety of the cockpit. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Get this bullet out of me, quickly!"

Linda handed Charlene the kit, and Charlene took out a pair of forceps. Vanessa placed a cloth into her father's mouth while Charlene slowly stuck the forceps into her husband's gunshot wound. Doofenshmirtz cringed and chewed the cloth in his mouth extremely tightly as the forceps slowly traveled down his ripped skin, leaving a trail of vicious pain in its wake. When the forceps reached the bullet that was nested inside his shoulder, a shot of more intense pain traveled from his shoulder to his brain at astonishingly unimaginable speeds, and it became continuous as Charlene slowly pulled the bullet out of his wound. Finally, the pain was replaced with a stinging when Charlene finally pulled out the golden, bloodstained piece of metal. Doofenshmirtz flinched at the sight of his own blood and began resisting the urge to throw up as he remembered a childhood memory concerning him having to suffer another manhood rite in which he had to stare at a partially-eaten Goozim with no ounce of fear. As usual, it didn't end well for him.

Finally, Doofenshmirtz won the battle and began panting heavily, the stinging still remaining on his wound. Suddenly, Norm slightly yet roughly jerked backward, nearly throwing the passengers back; Doofenshmirtz felt his nausea come back to him, and this time, it was more powerful: the scientist was able to summon a trash can that he poured his internal contents into. Meanwhile, Linda, Lawrence, Charlene, and Mandy looked out of the cockpit and gasped: the robot ridden by Sharpeard had fired a pair of grappling hooks at Norm that sunk into his wings; the robot was now slowing down with the intention of slowing Norm down as well until the rest of L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. reached them.

"They're trying to slow us down!" cried Linda. "We have to do something!"

Charlene examined the placement of the grappling hooks and said hooks' distances from the cockpit. Realizing that it was close, Charlene took out two scalpels from the first-aid kit and turned to Linda, giving her one.

"Linda," she said, "those grappling hooks are close to the cockpit. We can inch our way towards the hooks and use these to cut them!"

"But scalpels aren't that powerful in cutting ropes, aren't they?" replied Linda cautiously.

"These scalpels are the closest cutting tools we'll get!"

"But-"

"Remember Chef Guilbaud, Linda! The food doesn't control the knife, it is _you_ that controls it!"

Linda gulped, initially nervous, but pride flooded her eyes, and she smiled triumphantly. "You're right! We're mothers, for crying out loud! We do most of the work in the household; it's time we put our skills to the real test!"

"That's nice, sweetie," interjected Lawrence, "but won't you two get knocked away from the plane and fall to your doom once you get out there?"

"YES!" Thaddeus cried. "I knew these things would be useful!" He took out two spheres and gave one each to Linda and Charlene.

"A yo-yo?" Linda asked.

"Yes, they're yo-yos," said Thaddeus, "but the rope they contain has the strength of climbing rope! They're multipurpose tools, designed for both your entertainment and for scaling high terrain!"

Linda and Charlene immediately pulled out several feet of rope and tied it around their waists. Linda then gave her yo-yo to Lawrence, while Charlene gave hers to Vanessa.

"Hold on to these-" began Linda.

"-And don't let go," Charlene finished.

Lawrence and Vanessa both nodded, and Doofenshmirtz ordered, "Norm, open the cockpit!"

"Are you sure about that, sir?" asked the robot.

"JUST DO IT!"

The cockpit immediately opened up, and a gust of wind blew against the passengers' faces. Sagave leaned its head out of the cockpit and began panting, its tongue flapping in the wind.

"I'M GOING FOR THE ONE ON THE LEFT!" Linda yelled over the wind.

"I'LL GO FOR THE RIGHT THEN!" replied Charlene.

Linda and Charlene, the ropes still tied to their waists, the scalpels clutched in their hands, both crawled out from the sides towards the grappling hooks. Clutching the hooks' ropes, both mothers began sawing at them with the scalpels. Rodney noticed their actions.

"They're trying to cut the ropes!" Rodney yelled to Bloodpudding and Blair. "FIRE ON THEM!"

The other two villainous scientists nodded in response, and their robots opened fire on the two mothers. When a bullet nearly hit Charlene, Vanessa gasped and then became furious.

"NORM!" the teenage Goth ordered. "LET ME MAN YOUR MACHINE GUNS!"

"Yes, sis!"

"NO WAIT, VANESSA!" Doofenshmirtz protested, but it was too late: Vanessa had already given her father the yo-yo to hang to as her seat slid out of the cockpit, the two machine guns emerging from her sides.

Manning the guns, Vanessa snarled, "In the name of Doofenshmirtz, you're GOING DOWN!"

Vanessa flinched as the two machine guns began blasting away at the press of the triggers. Bloodpudding and Blair became immersed in a hail of bullets that miraculously kept missing them, but they kept experiencing close calls numerous times. Croachaye closely examined the pattern the machine guns were taking as they moved around to hit Bloodpudding or Blair, and finally discovering a weak spot in the pattern, he motioned his robot forward and opened fire on the weapons when the both of them focused themselves heavily on Blair, only to miss. Riddling one of the guns with bullets, disabling its firing mechanism, Croachaye laughed, while Vanessa gasped. Helmetair seized the chance to destroy the other gun, and Vanessa was forced to retreat back inside the cockpit.

Meanwhile, Linda growled angrily as the rope stubbornly maintained its grip on the hook that was buried in Norm's metallic wing. Moving her hand, Linda screamed when the metal her hand was placed on seconds ago burst in a tiny explosion: a bullet had hit the spot. Looking up, she saw Bloodpudding cackling as he continued to fire. Sparks flew all around the Flynn-Fletcher mother as bullets nearly hit her, and in shock, Linda accidentally lost her balance and fell off the wing. Fortunately, she still had the rope tied firmly around her waist, and Linda fell only a few feet when her fall was abruptly cut off when Lawrence, seeing his second wife's predicament, held back on the rope with all of his might.

Looking up and beaming at her savior, Linda then checked her hand to see if she held her scalpel, and sighed in relief when she realized it was still in her grasp. She then looked up at Lawrence again.

"Pull me up, Lawrence!" called Linda.

"Sure thing, honey!" Lawrence replied. He turned to Isabella, Albert, and Jenny. "Help me pull her up!"

"Sure thing, Mr. Fletcher!" Isabella cried, and she and the two teenagers helped the British man pull his wife back onto Norm's wing.

Linda felt her body being lifted up, and she smiled in relief. Then, the smile was replaced with an open mouth of shock, as Bloodpudding's robot was flying towards her, its guns reloading.

"IT'S TIME TO DIE, MISSY!" screeched Bloodpudding.

"I DON'T THINK SO!" Charlene's voice called out, and the red-haired scientist threw a confused glance at the wing she was on, only to stare at a severed rope, one of the ropes that held on to Sharpeard's grappling hooks, that was heading his way.

Screaming, Bloodpudding detached himself from his robot, barely seconds before the rope slashed his robot in half, sending the two pieces plummeting down towards the city below. Falling to the ground as well, Bloodpudding was able to activate his parachute and made a rough landing on a sidewalk as civilians watched with confusion. Linda, in the meantime, looked at Charlene.

"Thanks, Charlene!" called Linda.

"No problemo!"

Linda suddenly saw Blair heading towards her cooking class partner, her robot's guns prepared. "CHARLENE, LOOK OUT!"

Charlene reacted quickly: she threw her scalpel at the robot's left eye and landed a bullseye. In confusion, the robot began flying around in random directions, Blair screaming all the way. During its frantic panicking, the robot collided into the other rope that held Sharpeard's grappling hooks, severing it and sending his robot flying around as well. When the two flailing robots spun towards each other, Sharpeard and Blair detached themselves just in time, and their robots collided painfully and exploded. Sharpeard and Blair activated their own parachutes as they slowly traveled down to the city. Rodney roared out in frustration at the decreasing numbers of his side, while Doofenshmirtz laughed at his rival's despair as Linda and Charlene boarded the cockpit and shared a joyful high-five in the midst of their success.

Vanessa noticed Rodney, Tancien, and Helmetair's robots retreat, but Croachaye and Bulkare remained in pursuit. "Wait a minute," she said, "why are those two retreating?"

"Maybe they're freaking out about the losses they're suffering," replied Doofenshmirtz in a boastful voice. "It's very typical of Rodney to retreat anyway."

"They're closing in, sir," announced Norm. "I'm gonna try and evade them by zigzagging low all around the Danville Skyline!"

And with that, Norm flew low, near the streets, and began making numerous turns around the tall skyscrapers that now towered over the plane. Croachaye and Bulkare did the same, and had a particularly hard time maneuvering through the skyline. Doofenshmirtz was impressed with Norm's impressive maneuverability when the robot made a smooth turn in a section where heavily sharp left turns were required.

"Wow, Norm," the scientist said. "You sure know your maneuvering skills."

"Just because I'm a servant robot doesn't mean I have to be a stereotype of loyal servants," replied Norm.

"They're firing!" cried Isabella, and everyone looked at the back of the cockpit

Indeed, Croachaye and Bulkare were firing their robots' guns, leaving the shattering of glass of the surrounding skyscrapers in their wake. Everyone below screamed and some covered their heads as the glass rained down on them, while others ran in fear as the two scientists continued firing on Norm.

When Norm made a right and was flying down a street that was going straight for miles, everyone looked ahead to see the robots of Rodney, Bulkare, and Helmetair appear in front of them and head straight towards the plane, opening fire. Croachaye and Bulkare followed suit from behind, and the five remaining L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. members were raiding Norm with many bullets.

"Aw, man," Norm said, "I could really use a surgeon or two right now..."

"Norm!" exclaimed Doofenshmirtz. "Stay with us now! We can make it!" He looked at Rodney, Tancien, and Helmetair, who were still flying towards them. "Norm? You don't happen to have any missile launchers installed in you somewhere, do you?"

"As a matter of fact, I do."

A pair of menacing missile launchers was deployed from Norm's underside, and the robot immediately fired several missiles towards the three robots ahead of him. Tancien and Helmetair both screamed and managed to detach from their robots just before Norm's missiles destroyed them. However, Rodney was able to avoid the barrage and growled in anger.

"So, you wanna play with missiles, eh?" he asked furiously. "Well, let's fight fire with fire!" He then added in a whisper, "...Can't believe I didn't use this in the first place..."

His robot immediately fired two missiles that hit Norm's wings with ferocious accuracy. Everyone screamed, and Norm went, "Mommy, I don't want to go to the doctor!" The plane, finally suffering enough, began descending towards the street below, and civilians screamed and ran for their lives. Rodney lifted upward to avoid crashing into Norm, and he watched with Croachaye and Bulkare as Norm crashed into the street, overturning cars and causing many explosions. Snickering with triumph, Rodney flew down to the street, Croachaye and Bulkare behind him.

Landing in the middle of the street, the three villains dismounted their robots and approached the fallen Norm as his passengers, all dazed and injured, slowly struggled to get out. Rodney issued a short laugh before motioning the three Aerial-Class Robots to aim their firearms.

"Bye bye, Doofenshmirtz," he snarled, "and _good riddance_!"

At that moment, car horns blared from behind the six and they all looked back, only to be hit and roughly thrown backward by the O.W.C.A. bus.

Inside, Carl, who was still at the wheel, cried "HA! BULLSEYE!" before turning to Ferb, Candace, Perry, and the others.

"Kids, go help them!" the intern ordered, pointing at Norm and the passengers struggling to get out.

"Wait a minute!" exclaimed Beppo. "Since when must the children get out into the middle of a war zone?"

"Ever since Phineas threatened them," Carl replied coldly. Shocked by the teenager's response, Beppo and the other parents nodded while Carl looked at Perry, Fred, and Randy. "Agents, go battle L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N.!"

The three O.W.C.A. agents nodded and sprung into action, leaping out of broken windows on the bus and charging for Rodney, Croachaye, Bulkare, and their robots. Meanwhile, the kids and the parents rushed out of the bus and towards Norm, who was snoring peacefully. Vivian gasped upon seeing her daughter becoming the first to get out of Norm.

"ISA!" she cried, and Isabella looked up, eyes wide.

"MOM!" Isabella ran to her mother and they both embraced each other in a loving hug, both crying softly.

"Oh, Isa," said Vivian, "I was afraid I lost you!"

"It's okay, Mom," replied Isabella. "I'm all right."

Meanwhile, Ferb's eyes widened at the sight of Vanessa as she also got out of Norm with Candace's help. "Vanessa?"

Vanessa looked at Ferb and gasped. "Ferb?"

Linda and Lawrence poked their heads out of the cockpit and also asked simultaneously, "_Ferb_!"

"Mum!" Ferb and Candace both exclaimed. "Dad!"

"You _know_ this girl?" asked Lawrence.

"Yeah, I'm in lo...lucky friend of hers," Ferb replied, nearly exposing his love for Vanessa in front of her and his parents.

Doofenshmirtz poked his head out of the cockpit, not noticing his hand release David's revolver, and glared at the British boy suspiciously before finally saying, "I think it's 'Yeah, I'm a lucky friend of hers'. And what d'you mean by _lucky_?"

"Dad, we don't have the time!" Vanessa replied, helping her father as well as her mother out of the cockpit. "For now, we've gotta move!"

"Oh no you don't!"

Rodney, Croachaye, and Bulkare were standing behind the Flynn-Fletcher, Doofenshmirtz, and Garcia-Shapiro families, their stun guns ready.

"You guys aren't moving _anywhere_," said Rodney. "Now, come slowly and quietly or I'll-"

"You'll what?" Doofenshmirtz asked rebelliously. "Stun us?"

The scientist then punched his rival, sending the big-headed man tumbling into his two accomplices. Doofenshmirtz clutched his hand in pain, undoubtedly just suffering from the immediate aftermath of his first punch. Rodney wiped a small trickle of blood issuing from his lip in frustration before standing up, cracking his knuckles while Croachaye and Bulkare surrounded his sides menacingly.

"So, you wanna fight, eh? Well, let's do this then!"

"He's not fighting alone!" Lawrence stepped beside Doofenshmirtz.

"Lawrence!" exclaimed Linda, but Lawrence gave his wife a stern look.

"Linda," he said, "you and Charlene get the children out of here! Heinz and I will distract these three goons!"

"We will?" asked Heinz, evidently confused.

"But-" Linda began, but she was interrupted when Croachaye charged for her, only to be thrown to the ground by a punch from Lawrence.

"JUST GO!" the British man ordered, and the two women escorted the children away from the plane.

* * *

Doofenshmirtz and Rodney faced each other, staring daggers at each other. The two had always despised each other the moment they first met at that evil scientist convention, and they had always been waiting for the day that they would finally battle against one another in a man-on-man fight. The Code of Malevolence (a code for all evil villains in the Tri-State Area) prevented them from taking out their hatred on each other unless one of them became good, and now that Doofenshmirtz was choosing his family over work, Rodney was delighted to know he can finally square off against his arch-rival once and for all.

"Looks like it's come down to this, Rodney," snarled Doofenshmirtz. "Me against you, in a match to the death. May the best villain win."

"You're no longer a villain, Doofenshmirtz!" Rodney replied. "You were foolish to pick your family over your work! And now, I shall _destroy_ you. And for the last time, it's NOT Rodney! It's Aloyse Everheart Elizabeth Otto Wolfgang Hypatia Gunther Galen Gary Cooper von Roddenstein!"

"I don't care about your full name, Rodney! And yes, you're right! I'm no longer evil, and it wasn't foolish of me to save my family! It was the right thing to do! You should know that, you have a son at home!"

"I hit him at least twice a day whenever he makes even the tiniest failure! THAT makes me a great villain!"

"Wow." Doofenshmirtz put his hands on his hips. "If you wanna be an excellent villain, then why have a son?"

"Let's not press the matter, Doofenshmirtz. For now, LET'S FIGHT!"

"BRING IT ON, RODNEY!"

"IT'S ALOYSE EVERHEART ELIZABETH OTTO WO-OOF!"

Rodney was thrown to the ground by a hard punch from his opponent, who then clutched his hand in pain again.

"OUCH!" exclaimed Doofenshmirtz. "How in the world do those movie stars not feel the pain?"

Rodney took advantage of Doofenshmirtz's distraction to land a kick on the leg, and his opponent crumpled to the ground in intense pain. He then jumped over Doofenshmirtz and swung his fist at his face, but the other scientist managed to move his head away, and Rodney's fist grazed itself painfully against the edgy asphalt. He screamed out in agony, and Doofenshmirtz kicked him in the groin in response before shoving him off of his body before making a run for a crowbar that was conveniently abandoned near a manhole. Grabbing it, Doofenshmirtz charged back towards Rodney, who was struggling to aim his stun gun with his injured hand, only to have his shoulder hit hard by the crowbar. Rodney tried to grab the arm holding the crowbar, but his opponent dodged the movement and whacked Rodney's back with his new weapon. The villain fell to the ground, groaning in pain, before grabbing a large fragment of asphalt and throwing it into Doofenshmirtz's face.

Doofenshmirtz fell to the ground, his nose broken, and tried to crawl towards his fallen crowbar, but the daze he received from the latest blow distracted him, allowing Rodney to acquire the crowbar.

Slapping the crowbar lightly on his other palm, like a teacher in a Catholic school would do with a ruler, Rodney snarled, "Bad move, Doofenshmirtz."

Doofenshmirtz closed his eyes tight and braced himself for the impending series of impacts on his body...

* * *

Lawrence fell to the asphalt ground, having suffered another painful punch from Croachaye. Spitting out a wad of mixture of blood and spit, the British man spotted the revolver Doofenshmirtz dropped while trying to get out of the ship and tried to grab it, but Croachaye stepped on his back hard. Cackling with pleasure at his success, the evil scientist procured a small stick from his lab coat and pressed a button on it; a shiny, long blade emerged from the stick until it was long enough to become a sword. Pressing another button, Lawrence watched fearfully when the blade became engulfed with blue, crackling electricity.

"Now," said Croachaye, "prepare to die, fool."

Lawrence tried to struggle, but he had suffered too much of a beating to make a significant move. Finally, he gave up and waited for the arms of death to embrace him. But then, his sights laid on something: a locket his first wife gave him back in England. It had a picture of an infant Ferb being held by Lawrence. The both of them looked so happy, and Lawrence reminisced of the time he first held Ferb after he was born. It was like holding an angel, and it made Lawrence proud to know that he was a father. And ever since he remarried, it made him even more proud to know that Ferb will now move on from his past by playing with his stepsiblings. Most of his life had been dedicated to giving the best to Ferb, a dedication that was initially a failure that still made Lawrence cry whenever he thought about what happened during Ferb's early years in England. But he was having a fresh start in the U.S., a restart that was, until now, proving to be a success. But now that he was about to die, it enraged Lawrence to know that not only will he leave Ferb behind, but he will also leave Phineas behind in a state that would endanger the world. And he would never forgive himself for that.

Continuing to stare at the locket, the happiness radiating from the picture immersed Lawrence in a new tide of energy and hope. Growling angrily, he used all of his strength to stand up on his two feet with Croachaye's foot still on his back. His newest retaliatory action threw Croachaye to the ground, and he dropped his weapon. Lawrence grabbed it and was about to point it at his opponent, only to find that he recovered quickly and kicked it out of his hand almost immediately. Both men charged for the sword, and their hands landed on the handle. Seconds later, they were struggling over dominant control of the sword, the electricity still crackling as if it were the score of an action film.

"LET...GO!" roared Croachaye.

"No," Lawrence replied, "YOU LET GO!"

And with that, Lawrence proved to be the stronger of the two, pulling the weapon out of the scientist's hands and causing both to fall over. Lawrence immediately stood up and watched as Croachaye struggled to get up as well. Initially, the British man was puzzled as to why the scientist was having some difficulty, but when he saw the blood drip from his opponent's stomach, he charily approached him and realized at a closer distance that Croachaye landed on a sharp fragment of asphalt.

"Here, let me help you," said Lawrence.

Croachaye warily looked up at him before displaying his wound. Lawrence flinched at the sight of it before clutching the fragment.

"Hold your breath."

Croachaye did so, and groaned in intense pain when Lawrence quickly yanked the fragment out of his stomach. He then fell onto the street on his back, clearly incapacitated from the pain. Lawrence tossed the fragment across the street before running off to meet up with his family.

* * *

Little did Lawrence know that the fragment he tossed landed by Doofenshmirtz's side. The scientist eyed it, grabbed it, and, issuing a cry, stabbed Rodney in the leg before he can begin bludgeoning him with the crowbar. Screeching out in pain, Rodney fell to the ground and Doofenshmirtz stood up, kicking his opponent in the head and knocking him out.

Looking down the street, Doofenshmirtz watched with horror as his arch-nemesis Perry and his two O.W.C.A. comrades were being overwhelmed by Rodney, Croachaye, and Bulkare's Aerial-Class Robots, whom they were fighting with. He then looked at the wrecked Norm and approached it.

"Norm?" asked Doofenshmirtz. "Are you still there?"

"Yes, sir," replied Norm. "Here and functioning."

"See those Aerial-Class Robots?" Doofenshmirtz pointed at the battling robots. "TAKE THEM OUT!"

"Sure thing, sir."

Norm optimistically deployed a missile launcher and proceeded to fire three missiles at the robots. Perry, Fred, and Randy watched and managed to jump away at a safe distance just as the missiles hit the robots, causing a trio of massive explosions that sent shock waves, one of which nearly toppled Doofenshmirtz over. Perry beamed at their savior, but this expression was replaced with skepticism when he realized it was none other than Doofenshmirtz as the scientist helped turn Norm into his robot mode. Smiling, the once-evil scientist approached the platypus, who struck a fighting stance in wariness.

"Hold on, Perry the Platypus!" he cried. "I'm an ally now! Please, I'm on your side!" Perry still threw him a wary look. "Look, I just saved you and your two animal buddies from those robots! Is that enough to tell you that I'm now a good guy?"

Perry sighed, knowing that Doofenshmirtz, being bad at deceiving, was telling the truth, and stretched out his arm. Doofenshmirtz looked at it and then shook it.

"All right, then. Truce."

"Yeah...truce..." Norm said suspiciously, and Doofenshmirtz looked at his robotic servant.

"And exactly _what_ do you mean by that? I'm serious!"

"Oh, sorry sir."

* * *

The rest of the Flynn-Fletcher, Doofenshmirtz, and Garcia-Shapiro families were about to reunite with Carl and the other children, parents, and escapees when Bulkare ran into the fray and stood in front of them, chuckling evilly.

"HA!" the large scientist said. "Forgot about me, didn't you?"

Suddenly, Jack issued a battle cry and charged for Bulkare. Before Vivian, Isabella, or Gretchen can protest, Bulkare had already lifted the single father into the air and threw him into the O.W.C.A. bus. Snickering, the villain approached the fallen Jack.

"So, dare to challenge me, eh?" he asked. "Well, how do ya like THIS?"

He threw a punch at Jack, but he was quicker: managing to roll away as Bulkare's fist collided with the ground, leaving a small crater, Jack then jumped onto Bulkare's back and began punching at his opponent's face with all of his might. Yelling out in anger as his nose and mouth slowly began to issue blood, Bulkare quickly grabbed Jack's head and threw the father off of him, slamming him onto the sidewalk. Approaching his opponent, Bulkare was about to kick Jack when he stood up and threw his wallet into his face, distracting Bulkare and allowing Jack to kick him hard in the crotch and then in the leg.

"AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!" Bulkare screamed. "THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS WEEK I'VE BEEN HIT IN THE GROIN! YAARRRGGHH!"

Jack had then hit Bulkare across the head with a fragment of asphalt before running back to the others.

"Come on, we've gotta get out of here!" exclaimed Jack.

"All right!" Carl replied before spotting Doofenshmirtz, Norm, Lawrence, and the three O.W.C.A. agents running towards the group, a now-conscious Rodney in pursuit. "HURRY UP, WE'VE GOTTA GO!"

Suddenly, the street behind Rodney exploded, and Phineas's Doomsday machine emerged from the ground. Perry chattered in anger, recognizing the device as the same one that abducted Pinky. Quickly, everyone boarded the bus as Rodney stopped to look at the Doomsday device. Carl activated the engine and immediately sped away from the scene.

* * *

Rodney and Bulkare looked on in shock as Phineas and the six other L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. members emerged from the top of the machine. Phineas stared back at the two scientists, but he wasn't wearing an expression of anger at the recent failure. In fact, Rodney and Bulkare were puzzled as to why Phineas was smiling.

"Come on," Phineas announced. "We've got work to do."

"What about Croachaye there?" asked Bloodpudding in concern, pointing at the fallen scientist, who was still bleeding from his wound.

"Leave him," replied Phineas nonchalantly. "He's no use to us anymore. Look at the state he's in!"

"But we can patch him-" began Diminuitive, but Phineas threw a furious glance at him, silencing the small villain.

Rodney and Bulkare showed no remorse as Phineas picked them up, only confusion at their new leader's eerie smile...

* * *

"Wait a minute," Linda said inside the bus, "so Perry, as in **our** Perry, is a secret agent?"

"Yep," replied Ferb. "Me, Phineas, and our friends knew about it once before, but we had our memories erased. But now, we know again, and this time, they're letting us join the fight."

"Do you know exactly _what_ caused Phineas to become evil?" asked Isabella.

"We don't know for sure," Candace replied. "All we know is that Django was the one who last saw him as being regular. He also mentions that he sent him off to the park, for you were hosting a meeting concerning him at the time. And that was that. Next time we see him, he's got those eerily green eyes..."

"Hold on a sec!" Doofenshmirtz said, gaining everyone's attention. "What date was it when you last saw that kid as being, you know, regular?"

"Three days ago, on August 3rd," replied Django. Doofenshmirtz's eyes widened.

"What?" asked Vanessa. "What is it, Dad?"

Doofenshmirtz turned to his daughter. "That was when Perry the Platypus thwarted my scheme to become truly evil! Remember, Perry the Platypus?" He turned to Perry, whose eyes widened in remembrance as well. "Me and Rodney were arguing on who should be hit by the reconstructed Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator? And then you and your animal friends escaped and destroyed the Inator, but not before Helmetair fired a laser out of the window?"

"And you suffered yet another failure," added Rodney optimistically.

"Shut it, Norm!"

Carl's eyes widened. "You're not saying-" he began, but Doofenshmirtz cut him off.

"Yes, I'm saying so." He looked at everyone. "The Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator firing a laser out of my balcony and Phineas being sent to a place where people don't go to much anymore, both at the same time, can't be coinciding events. Phineas might've been hit by my Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator."

"Oh my God," replied Candace as the bus reached an abandoned hotel. "Do you know how to reverse the effects of that whatever-it-was-called?"

"Hey, I invented that thing, I should know how to make something that'll reverse its effects! I mean, how hard can that be?"

Suddenly, the bus was split in half, and the halves were sent in opposite directions, everyone inside screaming. Norm, however, commented optimistically, "I'm having an ice cream headache..."

The front half crashed into a fire hydrant, stopping it and dousing the half in water, while the other half was turned on its side. No one was injured, fortunately, and everyone was able to get out.

"What the heck happened?" Jeremy asked.

"_We_ happened!"

The Doomsday device emerged from the ground in front of them, and Phineas emerged from it, David and Rodney at his sides. Everyone stared daggers at him, the Flynn-Fletcher family and Perry especially. Phineas laughed at the sight of the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages!" Phineas announced. "It's the show you've all been waiting for! I am so glad you led me to your hideout-" He pointed at the abandoned hotel. "-and giving me access to all of the inventions me and Ferb have made!"

Everyone gasped as the inventions all began increasing in size behind him, and Phineas's smile became more pronounced.

"And I owe it all to Django here!" Phineas pointed at Django. "For my Doomsday device managed to throw a little Platypus-Track-Inator on the back of his shirt!"

Everyone stared at Django, who, indeed, had a small sphere on the back of his shirt. Doofenshmirtz could recognize it anywhere.

However, only Vivian wasn't staring at Django; instead, she was looking at David.

"David?" she asked, and David smiled.

"Hello there, Vivian," he replied. "A pleasure to see you again. It's been, what, seven years?"

Isabella was shocked to realize that her mother knew the man that had stroked her hair hours ago. "Mom," she said, tugging at Vivian's shirt, "do you know this man?"

David looked at Isabella and smiled. "So," he said to Vivian, "this is the baby you told me about. Hm. Now that I'm seeing her in broad daylight I can now see the resemblance. She definitely has our eyes. A remarkable job we did, Vivian, great job!"

"Mom?" said Isabella. "What is he talking about?"

Vivian sighed. "I was hoping that this day wouldn't come, but now that it has, I must admit this. Isabella, that man there-" She pointed at David. "-is your _father_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rereading this after all these years, I can say for sure this is my favorite chapter so far in the fic. I can easily imagine such a high-stakes, high-octane action sequence happening in an epic "Phineas and Ferb" movie. Plus the battle between Doofenshmirtz and Rodney? PHEW! Though I suppose some of the violence was a little too much, but I digress.
> 
> And yes, the twist is that David is Isabella's "long-lost father". I feel as if Jeff and Swampy read my fic in order to figure out what headcanons they should render non-canon, because the show proper...doesn't really make the true identity of Isabella's father all that big of a deal, like we were led to believe. CURSE YOU, JEFF AND SWAMPY!
> 
> Oh, and once again, Django has doomed the entirety of the Tri-State Area and the world. Man, will the guy EVER catch a break?! XD
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	17. Downfall, Part 3 of 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phineas now possesses the inventions. David is revealed to be Isabella's father. And now, the resistance is all imprisoned. What else could go wrong?...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now THIS is sure to be a chapter for the ages! (So far.) Now, I do hope all of you old readers know what I mean by that! ;)
> 
> ENJOY!
> 
> P.S.: Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

_ **RED TRIANGLE DIVISION HEADQUARTERS!** _

Inside the cell located at the DEI basement, Doofenshmirtz rolled his eyes at the new jingle as he continued to teach Vanessa and Candace how to play a game he learned during his days at Druelselstein while Charlene watched. Meanwhile, the Doofenshmirtz family's cellmates were doing other activities. Linda and Lawrence were hugging one another, the latter reassuring his wife that everything was gonna be okay. Baljeet and Buford were talking about what was going to happen once their captors return. Perry was lost in thought. And Ferb was constantly making attempts to use the materials all around to create a tool that will ensure escape, only to be met with failure.

Finally, Buford became annoyed by Ferb's desperation and he looked at the British boy. "Hey, Ferb!" he yelled. "It's no use anymore! We can't escape! I'm sorry, Ferb, but Dinner Bell's won. He has your inventions, he has a powerful army, he has our friends scheduled to be zapped by that evil-making machine...I'm sorry, Ferb. It's over."

"NO!" Ferb cried. "It's _not_ over! We _have_ to bring the good Phineas back! We just _have_ to!"

"Well, the chances of that happening are slim, Ferb," replied Baljeet. "They've learned from their mistakes. They've tripled security all around this cell, and even if we manage to get past all of those guards, then they'll use our friends as leverage! We'll probably go as far as the basement's exit!"

"But Phineas can't do this! He CAN'T!"

"Buford's right, Ferb." Ferb looked at Vanessa, her eyes full of pity. "I'm sorry, but it's over. We tried."

"No..." Ferb began backing away to the corner. "I don't believe you guys...It's not over! We need to keep fighting!"

"It's hopeless, kiddo," said Doofenshmirtz. "My experience with Phineas has told me that he's all-out serious. It only takes a stroke of luck to defeat him."

"No!" Ferb cried. "You guys are all WRONG! The fight hasn't been won! We need to find a way to bring back the good Phineas! Can't you invent something, Doofenshmirtz?"

"After your constant failures at making something with the materials provided, and added with my idiocy, d'you really think I'll accomplish that feat?"

Ferb couldn't believe what he was hearing. Everyone was giving up. But he hadn't. He _needed_ to save his stepbrother, no matter what. Issuing a battle cry, Ferb charged for the door and began banging it incessantly, in hopes of finally bringing it down. But the hinges were sturdy, and finally, after two hours of this, the British boy finally gave up. Sitting in the nearby corner, he buried his face in his palms and began crying. The crying increased when he realized that he hadn't been in this position ever since he was five.

A furry hand touched his knee, and Ferb looked to see that it was Perry. The platypus smiled a pitiful smile before taking out a notebook specifically sized for him, as well as a pencil, and began writing on it. He then displayed it to his owner, and Ferb read it.

_"We have to take a break. When the opportunity comes to us, we seize it immediately."_

Ferb sighed and looked at his pet. "Oh, Perry. I wish there was a way for us to make all of this right. But Buford's right: I think the fight's been won."

Perry wrote a new message: _"The fight is never won until it is."_

"And how do you know that, Perry?"

_"It's like one of my battles with Doofenshmirtz. I get hopelessly trapped by him, but a certain flaw in his scheme or his traps allows me to escape. Phineas is so self-conceited that he will display similar flaws, and once he does, we take advantage of it to escape."_

"How do we know when he displays said flaws?"

_"Trust me, we'll know."_

Ferb smiled. "Thanks, Perry."

Perry smiled back and was about to leave when he decided to write another message on his notebook. Writing it down, he showed his latest statement to Ferb.

_"Still shocked that I'm a secret agent?"_

Ferb remembered the time he was told by Carl that Perry was a secret agent working for the O.W.C.A. At first, Ferb found it implausible, considering his belief that platypuses typically don't do much. But when Perry made it clear that he _can_ do much, Ferb was shocked that his pet had been hiding this secret for at most five years. But he came to accept it when he was told of the day of the 2nd Dimension, and realized that Perry just kept his double life a secret to ensure the protection of him and Phineas.

"A little bit, yeah," Ferb replied. "And Phineas and I said that you don't do much."

Perry smiled and wrote another message, which was rather long.

_"Ferb, I didn't tell you this in the day of the 2nd Dimension day, or the past 48 hours: the moment you first adopted me from the O.W.C.A. shelter, I felt so safe with you. As safe I was with my family before they were all hunted down and killed by poachers. I had been so scarred by the tragedy, and my life had been so empty. That is, until you and Phineas helped lift those scars into the unknown. You accepted me when no one family would, and you treated me like Isabella would do to Pinky. Like a member of the family. Never before had I been so happy, and my life finally meant something to me again._

_"And when Major Monogram approached me during that fateful summer day four years ago and told me that I was to be a secret agent dedicated to fighting evil, I accepted my second life so easily. You wanna know why? Because I knew that if I turned down the offer, maybe, just maybe, Doofenshmirtz might've been assigned to some other agent who would instantly fail in stopping him, and he would accomplish his goal to conquer the Tri-State Area. And that meant you and Phineas would have to suffer from his tyrannical dictatorship. I didn't want to see that happen. Ever. So, I accepted Monogram's offer and I underwent intense training. Initially, it had been so hard on me, and I was on the verge of flunking every training course. But my care towards you and Phineas helped strengthened me, and finally, I trained myself to withstand it all, and when I graduated the session, I was given full marks. And on that day, Agent P was born. And I couldn't have done it without your love and passion for me._

_"I never got the chance to thank you two. Actually, I had many opportunities, many, but to seize one would mean that I had to risk my secret life, and I didn't want to be relocated from you. So, I just continued to maintain my cover as a mindless platypus that was lucky to be your pet. But as time passed, my need to thank you aided me in growing more and more tired of having to maintain my cover, and I kept dreaming of the day where Monogram would finally allow me to stand up on my hind legs and just do whatever I want in front of you two. I was so happy when I finally blew my cover to save you guys from the 2nd Dimension me, even though Phineas was furious at me. But when the three of us grew closer together because of it, the day became the happiest I've ever had, and I actually thanked you two by giving you a hug each in the O.W.C.A. headquarters. I wished the day would never end._

_"Unfortunately, it did when your minds were erased by Doofenshmirtz's Amnesia-Inator._

_"And ever since, I was relegated to maintaining my cover as a mindless platypus. The following weeks were a nightmare for me, having to watch you two go on with your lives without remembering that eventful day. But I accepted everything, for I knew it was the best. And yet, I still dreamed of the day where I can expose my secret again, this time without any punishment, where I can thank you guys again for recreating my life. And now that the day has come, I want to say it again. Thank you."_

Ferb smiled. "You're welcome, Perry."

Perry wrote down some more.

_"But I must also add this: I have failed you two. I made a promise that I would become an O.W.C.A. agent to protect you from evil. But the moment I went on my first mission as a full-time agent, last year, I broke that promise immediately. You two were home, all alone with no one to protect you. Actually, Candace was babysitting, but she had already discovered Jeremy and spent her time babbling away about him on her cell phone up in her room; I doubt she would've noticed anything if something happened to you. Anyway, every day, I kept adding another crack to that already-shattered promise. Every day, I had to always abandon you for my work to fight Doofenshmirtz, while my absences exposed you fully as a target for other evils. ALWAYS!_

_"And everything got worse this past summer. Every time I left off for DEI, you and Phineas were always building some remarkable contraption. Not that I'm criticizing you or anything, but Candace was right in constantly attempting to 'bust' you: those inventions of yours weren't safe. I'm pretty sure you two knew what you were doing, but the biggest of things can come in the smallest of packages. The most unnoticeable flaw in construction would've led to a lot, and I would've never forgiven myself for leaving you two alone when I would be able to rescue you._

_"And now, Phineas is evil because of me. I wasn't there for him when I should've been; instead, I was off fighting Doofenshmirtz and L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. I should've investigated where the laser went off to once it was fired, and I would've found out the problem before he can even stage that attack during the medal ceremony. But I didn't. I was too caught up with my work, the fact that you two were protected from evil once again. I should've known that I was wrong._

_"The Phineas Albert Flynn we know and love is gone now, and it's all my fault._

_"When I left you two for my first mission, I heard Phineas say, 'Hey, where's Perry?' Even though I didn't know that by leaving you I was leaving them vulnerable, I did know that you two would be sad whenever I left for work. I also didn't have the chance to apologize for always running off on you, and it was another goal I was intending on accomplishing once you discovered my secret. And now that you know, I want to say this for not only always abandoning you, but not doing something about the evil Phineas._

_"I'm sorry."_

Ferb immediately embraced Perry in a tight hug. "Apology accepted, pal."

The two parted and Perry smiled, and his British owner smiled back. Perry then wrote down something and showed it to Ferb.

_"So much for 'He's a platypus. He doesn't do much'."_

Ferb's smile became even more pronounced.

"Thanks, Perry, for cheering me up."

_"No problem."_

* * *

Chained to a wall in Doofenshmirtz's laboratory, Isabella stared longingly at David as the man stared back from a comfortable-looking armchair that once belonged to the once-evil scientist. Examining his raven-black hair and his astonishingly blue eyes that were both hers, the ten-year-old girl was still reeling from the shock of finding out that this man, the same one who stroked her hair in a disturbing way hours ago, one of Phineas's own accomplices, was actually her **father**. Sure, Vivian never talked to her about her true father, but Isabella always envisaged him to be a man who was high-spirited, fearless, and caring, just like she is, not a sociopathic, apathetic murderer responsible for numerous deaths throughout the Tri-State Area. But now that she met her real father, those imaginations were shattered.

Isabella then looked around the room, scanning her companions besides David. Vivian stared daggers at David, and Isabella began having vivid imaginations concerning how her mother's relationship with her father was like. Jack was comforting Gretchen as she shivered with fear, and it broke Isabella's heart to see her best friend and second-in-command actually crying; she had seldom seen Gretchen cry, and never this much. The rest of the Fireside Girls as well as Stacy were being held safely by their parents as the fathers examined the other guards, David's cronies Roderick, Sid, and Byron, in hopes of finding any physical weaknesses they can take advantage of. Django was looking at the ground, downcast, while his own parents were surrounding him like a fortress. Mandy was clutching Thaddeus and Thor in concern as she looked up at a snickering Sid. Norm was the most chained to the wall, and he didn't say a word. The Johnson and Saltker families were all grouped together, Jeremy stroking Suzy's hair in comfort as the girl held Sagave's limp body as if it were dead instead of being unconscious from an assault by Byron. Coltrane, Chad, and Jenny were shivering next to Stacy. Carl was kneeling next to the unconscious bodies of Fred and Randy, tending to the wounds they suffered when they tried to resist their captors, who happened to be the rest of the children accompanying Ferb and the resistance, having been zapped by the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator under Phineas's request.

All in all, fear hung in the air at the tense scene.

Finally, after almost an hour of waiting, David stood up from his chair and approached Isabella and Vivian, sitting down next to the former.

"So, Isa," he said, "whatcha doin'?"

Isabella's eye twitched. "So I inherited _that_ from you too?" she cried.

David's eyes widened, and then he smiled. "You say that too?" He then ruffled Isabella's hair. "Yep, you're my little girl all right!"

Isabella cried out angrily and pushed David's hand away from her. Roderick and Byron misinterpreted the girl's actions as a means of attack, but David motioned for them to stand down when they prepared to grab her, while Isabella moved into her mother's arms.

"Stay away from my little Isa, David!" growled Vivian.

"What's wrong, Vivvy?" David asked. "Still hurting from the time I admitted I was the leader of the glorious Tri-State Bombers?"

"I was never hurting. Our relationship was experiencing a serious downfall at that time! I was so glad that you admitted it; it gave me a chance to finally end it! And I was glad I took that chance!"

David stood up angrily. "HA! Don't throw lies at me, woman! You were crying in pity for me at my trial! It was never over until I said it was over, when I tried sending you that bomb that was meant to kill you! You were lucky that Phillip Flynn mistook the box containing it for something else and took it with him before everything went ka-blooey!"

Vivian's eyes widened, and so did Isabella's. "So it was _you_ that killed Phillip Flynn!" cried Vivian.

"Yes, it was I! And it was a very stupid thing for that man to do, mistaking the bomb for a possession of his!"

"MR. FLYNN WASN'T STUPID!" Isabella shrieked, standing up and looking her father in the eye. "I NEVER KNEW HIM, BUT I KNOW THAT HE WAS THE NICEST, SMARTEST PERSON ON EARTH! JUST LIKE HIS SON! AND _YOU_ TOOK HIM AWAY FROM HIS CHILDREN! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THAT HURT PHINEAS ESPECIALLY?"

"No, but I'd like to know. How I'll drool at the sight of him crying like a little baby- AAARRRGGGHHH!"

Isabella had kicked David in the groin. "YOU _MONSTER_! I CAN'T _BELIEVE_ YOU'RE MY FATHER!"

David laughed, savoring the pain, before finally replying maniacally, "You _dare_ hit your father like that? You're GROUNDED, young lady! GO TO YOUR ROOM!"

"YOU'RE...NOT...MY..._FATHER_!" screeched Isabella before she hugged her mother and burst into tears.

At that moment, Phineas entered the room, accompanied by Monogram and Pinky. The captives all looked up at him in fear, and Isabella's sobbing increased as she realized he had abandoned his old clothes and settled for a new suit, a black leather jumpsuit with a red triangle insignia on the chest. He also changed his hairstyle into the style he had when he was a member of the Baljeatles, but the hair was black with red streaks this time. Phineas stared on nonchalantly before looking at David.

"What did you do, David?" he asked.

"Nothing, boss," replied David. "She's still hurt by the fact that I happen to be her long-lost father."

"Really..."

Phineas walked towards Isabella and knelt down before her. He then placed a finger under her chin and lifted her head up so she can see him, and her red eyes looked at Phineas's green eyes with a mixture of fear and rage.

"I know things are hard, Isabella," said Phineas, "but you're gonna have to accept things the way they are. A shame my good self couldn't learn that when his father died, the incompetent fool..."

Phineas deriding his good self helped Isabella to immediately reply, "No."

The inventor smirked. "If you wish."

He then stood up and approached Django; his parents inched towards their son in defense.

"How 'bout you, Django?" Phineas asked. "Do you not want to join me as well? You'll make a great adviser for me. After all, you've helped me get through so much difficulties. You made everything so _easy_ for me. Together, with the world under our control, we can make it the most perfect place there is!"

"Never!" replied Django boldly. Phineas smirked again.

"If you say so, Django. But before we can get on with business, I will tell you this: I've named the Red Triangle's objective to conquer the world 'Operation: Brown'. It's a little thank-you for your contributions for making all of this happen!"

Django screamed in anger and charged for Phineas before his parents can stop him. But Phineas was faster, and he punched Django in the face, sending him to the ground.

"DJANGO!" screamed Beppo, and Phineas cackled.

"YOU'LL NEVER GET AWAY WITH THIS, PHINEAS!" Django cried.

"Three words: I. Just. Did." Ignoring Django's enraged growling, Phineas turned to his comrades. "MEN, IT'S TIME!"

"SIR!" David, Roderick, Sid, Byron, and Monogram all replied in unison, while Pinky barked and saluted.

"By the way," added Roderick, "I love your new look, boss."

"Why, thank you Roderick."

Meanwhile, Adyson Sweetwater watched Django pitifully as the boy continued to cry in frustration.

* * *

The Flynn-Fletcher and Doofenshmirtz families, plus Perry, Baljeet, and Buford, were all sitting in the cell when the door opened and Phineas, Rodney, and Sharpeard stepped into the room. The prisoners gasped at Phineas's new look, and Perry chattered in anger at his owner's change. Phineas smiled at the scene and snapped his fingers; Rodney and Sharpeard stepped forward, procuring their own set of keys, to unlock the captives from the chains binding them to the wall.

"Hello, everyone," greeted Phineas. "It's nice to regroup with you all again."

"Phineas!" cried Ferb. "I know you're inside there somewhere! If you can hear me, bro, you can fight it! Come on! Fight!"

Phineas cackled briefly. "I'm sorry, Phineas can't come to the phone right now. Please leave a message after the beep. BEEP!"

"YOU _BEAST_!" Doofenshmirtz roared as Rodney unlocked him. "YOU'RE ENJOYING THIS, AREN'T YOU?"

"Yes, yes I am. Anyway, I'm betting you're all wondering why I locked you all up here in this cell while everyone else was taken to the main building. Well, I was planning to do so, but I realized that if you all escape, you will manage to free the rest of this so-called resistance and fight for the freedom of the world. And why just you guys, you ask, if not all of the resistance? Well, you are the most-likely members who are guaranteed to defeat me. You all have determination inside you out of the others, determination that is ensured to overthrow me. I definitely don't want that happening. Which is why I've formulated a scheme to get you out of the way!"

"You did?" asked Rodney. "What kind of scheme?"

Phineas was smiling his most evil smile of the day.

"Oh, you'll see..."

* * *

In Doofenshmirtz's laboratory, Bloodpudding was seated on a couch, watching the news on Channel 17 as the other Red Triangle members modified Phineas and Ferb's inventions to make them suitable for battle. He had decided to take a break from arming the Brobots and left Diminuitive in charge of the work. Suddenly, one top story appeared and attracted the evil scientist's attention.

_**"And happening right now,"**_ a reporter said, _**"we continue to cover the story of a plane crashing on 5th Avenue at downtown Danville, followed by a trio of robots wreaking havoc on the street and then a strange machine emerging from under the street for a moment before disappearing."**_

"Hey, guys!" Bloodpudding called to the rest of L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. "They're covering what happened downtown!"

"Let me see, let me see!" exclaimed Rodney, sitting down on the couch beside the red-haired scientist while the other scientists gathered around.

_**"Ten people were killed by the plane crash, and at least twenty-five more were injured,"**_ continued the reporter. _**"None of the casualties included the thirteen passengers or so of the plane, all of whom have since vanished from authorities and are still unavailable for comment. Two people were injured by the robots, and one of them died en route to the hospital."**_

The camera then showed a replay of the aforementioned victim being hauled away into the ambulance. Bloodpudding managed to catch a glimpse of the man's face, and immediately recognized the bug-like eyes.

"It's Croachaye!" he cried, and Diminuitive, Blair, and Tancien gasped. However, Rodney, Sharpeard, Helmetair, and Bulkare remained undaunted by their colleague's death.

"So what?" asked Rodney. "We suffered a loss. But it was for the greater good, like the boss would say. He would've slowed us down."

Diminuitive looked at Rodney, outraged. "Do you not care for our comrade's death, Rodney?" he asked. "He was a great villainous scientist!"

"He was a _fool_," replied Rodney. "And it's not Rodney, for the last time. It's Aloyse Everheart Elizabeth Otto Wolfgang Hypatia Gunther Galen Gary Cooper von Roddenstein!"

_ **"As for that strange machine, it killed at least fifty people and injured hundreds more upon emerging from the street. Bodies continue to be found littered all over the street, and the death toll is expected to double."** _

"Awesome," commented Bulkare.

"_Awesome_?" Blair repeated, shocked. "This is disastrous! People are actually _dead_!"

"And Croachaye's one of them!" added Tancien.

"So what?" Sharpeard replied. "We're villains, for crying out loud! We shouldn't be even the least concerned!"

"Sharpeard's right," said Helmetair.

Bloodpudding, Diminuitive, Blair, and Tancien didn't say another word, but the four evil scientists looked at each other with reluctance. Rodney, Sharpeard, Helmetair, and Bulkare continued to watch the news, in the meantime.

* * *

The Paper Pelican, now armed with many machine guns, missile launchers, and armor, and also being manned by two Doof Clones, was flying above the ocean towards an unknown destination as the sun proceeded to sink below the horizon. Ferb, Perry, and Candace looked out of the windows and stared at the blue field that extended into eternity, and marveled at the sight of two blue whales breaking the surface momentarily to clean out their blowholes of water. Doofenshmirtz and Charlene were both holding Vanessa's hands as means of comfort for the teenage Goth. Linda and Lawrence were clutching each other in fear. Django was staring continuously at the ground. The now-conscious Fred and Randy whispered to one another any possible methods of escaping as Carl watched, only to find dead ends to their schemes. Isabella was watching Phineas, who stared back with a smile on his face. Everyone one else was staring blankly into space, wondering what will happen next, or examining the sea, like Ferb, Perry, and Candace were doing.

Finally, one of the Doof Clone pilots announced, "Destination ahead."

The passengers all leaned against the windows to see what the destination was, only to find no landmass other than a small island.

"Huh?" said Ferb as the plane deployed large landing gear and landed in shallow water. "_That's_ our destination?"

"Yes, yes it is," Phineas replied, procuring his stun gun and pointing it at the passengers. "Alright, everyone out!"

Everyone complied and stepped out of the Paper Pelican and towards the small island, followed by Phineas, the Tri-State Bombers (except for Sid, who was absent), Monogram, Pinky, Rodney, Sharpeard, and the two Doof Clones. As the group stepped onto the island shore, Candace realized that the island had a pair of palm trees and a big, fat ox as its residents. She suddenly gasped, as did Ferb, Isabella, Baljeet, and Buford. Phineas smiled at the outcome and cackled.

"I knew you'd recognize this island!" he said.

"What's he talking about?" asked Lawrence.

"Mom, Dad," Candace said, "I have a confession to make. Remember the Summer Solstice?"

"Yes," replied Linda.

"Well, you now know that Phineas and Ferb make stuff whenever you two are gone, am I right?"

"Yes," replied Lawrence. "What're you trying to tell us?"

"Well, during the Summer Solstice, Phineas and Ferb made a jet fast enough to catch up with the Sun as the Earth rotated. Well, the two of them, plus me, Isabella, Buford, and Baljeet, rode it to make sure we would spend most of that day in sunlight."

"WHAT?" Linda exclaimed. "I LEFT YOU IN CHARGE, AND YOU ALLOWED THEM TO DO _THAT_? AND YOU _PARTICIPATED_?"

"Yes, Mom."

"Wait," said Lawrence, "what does that have to do with this island?"

"Yeah, uh, the jet I mentioned? It crash-landed here."

"WHAT?" Linda exclaimed again. "YOU CRASH-LANDED HERE? I KNEW I SHOULD'VE STAYED HOME AT THAT TIME!"

"How'd you two get out of here?" asked Lawrence.

"We used Ferb's map," replied Candace. "Long story short, we made it back home just before you two did."

"YOU ALLOWED PHINEAS AND FERB TO DO THAT?" roared Linda. "THAT'S IT, MISSY! YOU ARE _BUSTED_!"

"That's nice, Flynn," said Phineas, shooting his stun gun into the air and attracting Linda's attention. "This is your first declaration as a citizen of this island!"

"Citizen?" asked Doofenshmirtz.

"Yes, for I shall strand you guys-" He pointed out the Flynn-Fletcher family, the Doofenshmirtz family, Perry, Baljeet, and Buford. "-HERE!" Phineas then began cackling with all of his might, and Ferb, outraged, ran forward and grabbed his stepbrother's shirt.

"YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" he cried. "PHINEAS? PHINEAS, ARE YOU IN THERE?"

"He can't help you now, _bro_," replied Phineas, kicking Ferb in the stomach and throwing him into the shallow water. Vanessa rushed to his side in concern as Phineas cackled.

"I hope you all enjoy your stay here," he said. "Let's see if you all can escape without my help. Come on, men, we're leaving!"

"SIR, YES SIR!" replied Monogram sternly.

"NO!"

Jeremy rushed forward, away from the grasp of Sharpeard, and hugged Candace tightly. "NO! IF YOU'RE GONNA STRAND MY GIRLFRIEND HERE, THEN STRAND ME HERE TOO!"

"Too bad, cause that's not on our to-do list!" replied Sharpeard, who seized Jeremy's shoulder. However, the teenage boy punched the scientist in the neck, incapacitating him, and put his hands on Candace's shoulders.

"I'm not leaving you, Candace!" he declared.

"No, go with the rest, Jeremy!" replied Candace. "We'll find a way to get off of this island, I promise!"

"But I love you, Candace!"

"Go, Jeremy! You have a sister to take care of!"

Jeremy looked at Suzy, who was in Mr. Johnson's arms as she looked at her older brother pleadingly. He then faced his girlfriend.

"Promise?" he asked.

Candace's lips immediately bonded with his, and the two shared a passionate kiss in the sunset. It lasted for only a minute, but to the two others, it lasted for a lifetime before they parted.

"Promise," replied Candace.

"Aw, how _romantic_," said David as he seized Jeremy and pulled him away from the redhead.

Meanwhile, Ferb was looking at Isabella.

"Isabella," Ferb called, "it's all up to you for now!"

Isabella nodded as Phineas escorted her and Vivian inside the Paper Pelican.

* * *

The Flynn-Fletcher family, the Doofenshmirtz family, Perry, Baljeet, and Buford watched from the island as the Paper Pelican flew off into the sunset. Inside the Paper Pelican, Isabella, Jeremy, and Django watched as the island grew farther and farther away from their grasp, with their friends now stranded there, with little hope of escape. However, every captive knew that with Ferb, they will find a way to get through the situation. Suddenly, the trio felt another presence and saw that Phineas was behind them, and Jeremy growled angrily.

"How could you do this, Phineas?" he asked, his mouth practically breathing fire.

"To eliminate the loose ends of my plan," replied Phineas. He then procured a cell phone and dialed a number. "But I'm not done yet."

Isabella, Jeremy, and Django, along with every other captive, watched with shock as Phineas put the phone to his ear and said simply, "It's a go."

* * *

Outfitted with a jetpack, Sid watched the island and its inhabitants with glee. The former bomber felt like God, having a practical settlement under his infinite watch, and it pleased him to know this, and a surge of power and mightiness flowed through his veins. Unfortunately, this simile was to end immediately, for Phineas had given him the order. Sid loved destruction and death better than feeling like a deity, so he immediately went for his gut and obeyed.

Cackling maniacally, Sid roared to the heavens, "YOU'RE ALL MINE NOW!"

And with that, two missile launchers appeared on his jetpack, and Sid emptied the weapons towards the island, still cackling.

* * *

Every captive watched with horror as the missiles plummeted towards the island, much like birds making a head-dive for gophers desperately burrowing into the ground.

"GUYS, WATCH OUT!" Katie cried.

"CANDACE!" shouted Jeremy.

"FERB!" Isabella screamed.

"DAD! SIS!" yelled Norm, in a voice that finally didn't display any optimism.

"NNNNNOOOOO!" Django shrieked.

"YYYYYEEEEESSSSS!" screeched Phineas.

The captives gasped with horror as the missiles all raided the island, with none missing its target. And then, Isabella, Jeremy, and Django felt a spiritual presence leave the world forever; they didn't know if it was their own hope or if they felt their friends/loved ones actually die. Jeremy gasped again and banged the window.

"CANDACE!" he shouted again, as if he were to received a response, but there was none.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Phineas was cackling madly, triumph blazing in his green eyes and laced in his voice as it pierced the air.

"THIS WORLD IS _MINE_ NOW!" he roared.

Django looked at the ground, downcast.

_"And it's all my fault,"_ he thought grimly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, no! So whatever happened to the Flynn-Fletchers, the Doofenshmirtzes, Baljeet, and Buford?! I wonder?!
> 
> Anyway, I would like to offer some insider background behind that shocker ending. It was actually inspired by a scene in "Transformers: Dark of the Moon", where the Autobots are forced to leave Earth in a space shuttle, only for that shuttle to be ambushed by the Decepticons and destroyed. Because of that, everyone believed the Autobots were all dead, since of course that would happen in a "Transformers" property. XP
> 
> ...
> 
> Wait a minute, did I just spoil what happens to them? Eh, it doesn't matter. Their fate seems obvious, even from a novice perspective. What the new readers should be paying attention to is HOW they survive. It's a doozy. ;)
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	18. There's Always Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Django becomes wracked with guilt over inadvertently making all of these events happen and only one person is there to help him. Meanwhile, an unexpected ally makes plans to free the captives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

Django struggled hopelessly against the chain that linked him to the wall of his cell, but finally, after several minutes of this, he gave up and slammed his fist on the peeling wall in anguish and defeat. He then looked around at the new cells Phineas had built for them. There were now rows of cells to evenly distribute the large amount of captives, one cell for each family. The brown-haired boy looked back at his parents, both of whom were sleeping in each other's arms peacefully. Django couldn't help but feel jealous at them: they have found a peaceful solace in the wake of terror, and yet, he, Django, can't find it even if he tried his best.

But he had a reason to be desperate. In the next room, Phineas was making the final preparations to his move against the world and it was his fault. _His_ fault.

Remembering the time where he bumped into Phineas, the old Phineas, being asked by him where Isabella was, Django clutched his hair in stress, looking like a crazed inmate. He couldn't believe he sent him to the park, exactly at the same time the thingamajig, whatever Doofenshmirtz called that contraption, fired a laser there. Why did he send him to the park? Django knew that Phineas mustn't find out about the meeting Isabella and Ferb were hosting three days ago. But why the park? Why not the Slushy Dawg? Django angrily slammed his fist on the wall again and bit his shirt as he struggled to contain his need to scream out loud in frustration and hatred of his decision.

Django then slapped his knee hard upon realizing it was also he who first suggested recreating Phineas and Ferb's past inventions of the summer to cheer the former up. Thanks to this decision, Phineas developed his interest towards their potential. He knew that everyone was running out of ideas on what else to make for Phineas; after all, Django remembered that he couldn't think of anything else. But maybe he shouldn't have made that suggestion. Maybe if he didn't, someone after him might've an idea just as good.

And then he lured the Red Triangle to the inventions! This latest failure of his made Django's eyes well up with tears. He remembered feeling something latch onto the back of his shirt when the Doomsday device emerged from that downtown street, but he, in an act that many would consider stupid, thought it was a piece of asphalt and didn't bother to brush it off. And now that Phineas has the inventions, the Red Triangle's forces were now stronger and more unstoppable. And he, Django, practically _supplied_ them with the amazing contraptions! Django was both angered and surprised at the fact that he always did something, some minor thing, that helped the bad guy get one step closer to glorious victory.

And it was because of his failures that Ferb, Candace, Perry, and the others were dead. It had been twenty-four hours since he watched with sheer horror from the Paper Pelican as the barrage of missiles fired by Sid raided the island, with them still on it. Django hoped that the group had dove into the water to prevent being caught in the resultant explosion, but he realized that the chains on them would've slowed them down, and that the blast was way too powerful to even allow them to survive even if underwater. Ferb probably built something that teleported or shielded them, but Django knew that without Phineas's blueprints, the British boy's inventions would be useless and defunct. Probably they used the hole Phineas had dug in the island during his first stay there as a makeshift bunker, but he realized that a bunker needed a suitable door if it were to protect its occupants.

Django couldn't take it anymore. Phineas becoming evil because he sent him to the park, the Red Triangle acquiring the inventions with his unknowing help, Ferb and the others dead from his mistakes...the boy began sobbing quietly. How much more failures can he make?

"Django?"

It wasn't his father, nor his mother, but Adyson Sweetwater, who was sitting in the cell to the right of his. The Fireside Girl was looking at him with her gentle green eyes in concern.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Django struggled to maintain a positive smile. "Yeah, yeah, I'm crying so I can attract the guard's attention," he replied, pointing at the Doof Clone that was snoring while sitting on a pedestal.

"Really? That crying sounds pretty genuine."

"I practice making my fake crying sound real."

"Uh-huh..." Adyson raised an eyebrow. "Are you _sure_ you're okay?"

"Yes, yes!" Django clutched the bars separating him and Adyson, looking more and more insane by the minute; Adyson's eyes widened in slight fear. "In fact, I'm having the best time of my life! Phineas has all of us captured and is about to conquer the world! It's like an action movie! All I have to do is get the clumsy guard's attention and get him to unlock my cage so I can knock him out and get the keys to free all of you guys! See! Simple! It's guaranteed not to fail! Like I always did before!"

"AHA!" Adyson cried. "I _knew_ it! I knew you were hurting over luring Phineas to the inventions without knowing it!"

Django's eye twitched incessantly and he ranted at fast speeds, "Yeah, well that's not all! I sent Phineas to the park to get zapped, remember? Remember that? Oh, oh, oh! And the time I _suggested_ that we make those inventions to cheer Phineas up! Huh? Remember my little doozy? Surely you remember, because that was the starting point for all of this! HA! Oh, and the results in which Ferb and the others are _dead_? Eh? Quite the biggest failure I made! I wonder what other failures I'll do? Maybe I'll accidentally scare the world's leaders into loaning over their countries to Phineas! Yeah, that would be a doozy, wouldn't it? And then I'll accidentally spill a perfume on Phineas that'll make him immortal, and his rule will be everlasting! Yeah, and you'd all go sarcastically, 'Nice going there, Django!' Yeah, that oughta be the greatest doozy I'd make, stupid me!"

Adyson's shocked eyes softened. "Oh, Django," she said, "it's not your fault all of this happened."

"Oh really, Adyson!" snarled Django. "Who's the one who sent Phineas to the park? Who's the one who suggested recreating the inventions? Who's the one who led Phineas to the inventions? Who's the one who got our friends killed? Me! Me, me, me, me, MEEEEE!"

"Settle down, Django-"

"Don't tell me to settle down, Sweetwater! _I'm_ the one who caused all of this! I AM!"

"Yes, you are. And you can't change a thing about it. But if you move on-"

"Move on? _Move on_? Adyson, there'll be NO moving on once Phineas conquers the world. The strain of it will always remain on our shoulders. On _my_ shoulders. It'll always remain as long as his reign is strong and firm. And then, I'm gonna always be known as the herald of the conquerors. Fancy, huh?"

Adyson reached through the bars and put her hands on Django's shoulders.

"No, Django," she said seriously. "Phineas is _not_ gonna conquer the world. We can stop him."

"And exactly _how_ we will do that without Ferb, or Phineas for that matter?"

"We just need hope, Django."

"Hope? HA! That disappeared along with Ferb and the others once that island exploded!"

"There's always hope, Django. There always is."

Django took Adyson's hands off of him. "And how do you know that, Adyson?"

Adyson's lips tightened and she sighed. Finally, she replied, "I was five years old. I was accompanying my father to work because the school was shut down due to reconstruction. Anyway, two floors below my dad's office, three disgruntled employees had begun shooting. After a while, they tried to run, but the police had already arrived and they had little ammunition. So, they planned to take several people in the floor above them hostage and use them as leverage, and they took the elevator. But one of the shooters pressed the wrong button and they went two floors up instead. And before I knew it, me, my father, and six other people became hostages.

"It took for many hours, and the police weren't making any deals. I was so worried the shooters were gonna kill us, and it was so hard for me not to cry. My father told me not to worry, and he told me the same words I told you: We just need hope. Finally, after four hours of negotiating, the shooters concluded that the police were never gonna let them go and they readied themselves for the finale. I was crying; I was hugging my father. I really didn't want to die. One of the shooters suddenly grabbed my dad and prepared to execute him. I was crying so loudly for my dad, and all of a sudden, hope came in the form of a SWAT team. The shooters were all arrested, and none of the hostages were killed. In fact, no one was killed in the entire event; the shooters had poor aim when they shot their victims and only twenty-four people were injured. The greatest injury was one man who was paralyzed from the waist down.

"As for me, the event did little to scar my life. I never had nightmares about it, anything that happened around me didn't remind of that fateful day. I was never scarred because of my father's words to me: We just need hope. Those words guided me through all of the situations I had in my later life, and they still do. And I now pass down those words to you, Django. We just need _hope_."

Django listened to Adyson's story, open-mouthed. "_That_ really happened to you, Adyson?" he asked.

"Yep," she replied, smiling. "I'm kinda glad it happened to me. Otherwise, I would never have believed in hope."

"Wow. That's just...amazing."

Adyson's smile became even more pronounced, more softer, and she leaned in closer to Django.

"And it's time for you to believe in hope too, Django," she whispered in a tone that made Django blush.

"Alright, Adyson," he replied softly. "I will."

"And don't blame yourself for what happened. It can all be made up for by stopping Phineas once and for all."

Django nodded. Adyson's words were so powerful on him, and a new surge of happiness flowed in his body. He now wondered where he would be without the brown-haired Fireside Girl.

"Thanks, Adyson, for your help."

Adyson smiled.

"You're welcome."

* * *

Bloodpudding twiddled his fingers nervously as he stood before his leader, Phineas, who was overseeing something that the evil scientist could not see. The red-haired villain nervously looked at his comrades, Diminuitive, Blair, and Tancien, who too looked cautious at the prospect of talking to their new boss. Finally, Bloodpudding was able to muster enough courage to approach Phineas and talk to him about their fallen comrade Croachaye.

"Uh, boss?" he asked.

"Yes, Bloodpudding?" replied Phineas.

Bloodpudding was about to answer when he saw what Phineas was looking at: a charred Doof Clone, the same Doof Clone that had been caught in the blast of the exploding Straitjacket-Inator when the original ten hostages were rescued by those two boys, the ones they called Thaddeus and Thor. Several O.W.C.A. interns were operating on the clone like surgeons operating on a patient, placing metal parts on his most burnt places and attaching them to his skin. The scene was slightly nauseating, and Bloodpudding had to look at Phineas instead.

"What's that, boss?" he asked.

"A critically-injured Doof Clone," replied Phineas. "He's still alive, but he won't be for long. Which is why we're integrating him with machinery and turning him into a cyborg. Much like Perry's 2nd Dimension doppelganger. He will specialize in being the Red Triangle Robots' general, and he is a mighty weapon on his own. He will be the Doof Cyborg."

Bloodpudding found it ironic that Phineas would have pity on a gravely-injured clone, but not Croachaye. The scientist clenched his fists, a movement that went unnoticed by Phineas, fortunately, before a gesture from Tancien helped him settle down and pursue the subject he wanted to begin in the first place.

"Boss, about Croachaye?"

"Yes?" replied Phineas, not looking at Bloodpudding.

"Well, since we have the technology to save our comrades from death by turning them into cyborgs, maybe if we can steal Croachaye's body from the local coroner, maybe we could, you know, resurrect him by turning him into a cyborg as well. Sounds like a good idea, in my opinion?"

"To me also, Bloodpudding. There's just one little thing."

"What's that, boss?"

"He's _useless_ to us."

"Excuse me, come again?"

Phineas finally turned to Bloodpudding and stared at him with his green eyes that made the four scientists shudder in fear. "I said, 'He's useless to us.' We don't need him anymore. He's trash, a worthless piece of junk that deserves to be thrown away. You get the picture."

"But he's our colleague!" protested Diminuitive. "Why is he so useless anyway, sir?"

"Because he is gullible. Using the Doomsday device's sonar, I detected Lawrence offering help to the then-injured Croachaye under that downtown street. I expected Croachaye to do everything by himself, but he didn't. He let that man help him, in spite of the fact that Lawrence would use the opportunity to finish him off, which is very out-of-character for him. Anyway, that's no villain. That's a _coward_, who won't do things by himself like any bold villain would and should do."

"He was a great villain!" Bloodpudding cried angrily. "I don't know why he let his opponent help him, but he surely had a perfectly good reason for doing so. He was L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N.'s strategist. There was strategy in there somewhere!"

"Are you contradicting me, Bloodpudding?" asked Phineas calmly.

Bloodpudding opened his mouth to say "Yes", but a meek voice came out, saying, "No."

"I thought so. Now, if you four excuse me, I'm overseeing, unless there's something else you wanna tell me, am I right?"

"No, sir, there isn't," replied Blair, and she left the room, followed by the three other scientists. Bloodpudding looked back rebelliously at his leader as the doors to the room slid shut. With the coast clear, the red-haired villain stamped his foot in anger.

"That's it!" he cried. "I'm _tired_ of working for this kid! He's too evil for my taste! Doofenshmirtz was right in going against him!"

"Yeah!" replied Tancien. "I say we follow in Doofenshmirtz's footsteps and leave!"

"No!" Diminuitive said. "Maybe if we pretend that we're still aligned with Phineas, maybe it will give us a chance to find out what that 'Operation: Brown' is and bring it down from the inside!"

"Yeah, Diminuitive's right," said Blair, "we should feign loyalty to our so-called leader. It's the most effective way to ensure that this kid doesn't succeed!"

"Sounds like a great idea," Bloodpudding said, "but we can't do this on our own. I know the rest of L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. won't be of help, for they've already gotten used to Phineas's evil. Those Tri-State Bombers are definitely out of the picture. Maybe..."

The four scientists all looked at each other.

"Are you all thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Bloodpudding, smiling.

"I believe so," replied Blair.

"So it's settled!" Diminuitive said.

"Let us go get some nachos!" finished Tancien triumphantly. His three comrades looked at him with looks that read, 'Are you kidding me?' "What?" Then, Tancien realized what they were really thinking. "_Oh_..."

* * *

Isabella desperately tried to use her mother's hairpin to unlock the lock that held her cell door firmly shut, but she accidentally dropped it and the object landed out of her reach. Groaning angrily, the girl looked at Vivian and shook her head. Vivian bowed her head down in defeat, as did Jack, Gretchen, and the Johnson family who were in the nearest neighboring cells.

Suddenly, the door opened and in came Bloodpudding, Diminuitive, Blair, and Tancien. The Doof Clone immediately stood up, fully awake, and saluted the four scientists.

"There's a bit of a problem at the toilet in the guest bathroom," said Bloodpudding. "Everyone else is working and we need you to fix it. We'll guard the prisoners while you're at it."

"Yes, Bloodpudding," the Doof Clone replied, and he left for the guestroom, tossing Bloodpudding the cell keys. When Blair gave the thumbs-up to tell her comrades that the clone was out of sight, Bloodpudding immediately began unlocking the cell doors, to the shock of the captives.

"Just exactly what're you guys doing?" asked Mr. Rai.

"Getting you all out of here," replied Tancien. "Just keep quiet."

In Django's cell, he looked at Adyson happily.

"You seeing this?" he asked.

"Yep," replied Adyson. "I told you, Django, just believe in hope. And now, here's hope's first step!"

"Nicely worded, girl," Bloodpudding commented as he unlocked Adyson's cell door, "but there's no time for such chitchat. Hurry up!"

Within minutes, all of the captives were freed, and the four former villains stared proudly at what they were doing.

"You know," said Diminuitive, "being good isn't that bad at all!"

"You got that right," replied Tancien.

"Alright, everyone," Bloodpudding said, "the exit is the first door to the left. However, it is quite far and within good sights of the Red Triangle. Fortunately, the inventions that have been completed in modifications are all lined up against the wall leading from this door to the exit. There's a cavity between the inventions and the wall that is big enough for all of you. You need to use that if you are to sneak past Phineas's forces without being seen. One of those Tri-State Bombers is guarding the door, so be sure to knock him out quickly.

"To start your escape, you will have to attack us." He pointed at himself and his comrades. "Use enough power to make us bleed. We will give you guys one minute before we sound the alarm. When the alarm is activated, that means you have to get out of here faster, cause they're gonna do a whole layout of the place to find you. It doesn't matter where you hide, so just get out of here faster. Try and use a distraction.

"Once you're out of the laboratory, the elevators are at the right of the door. Take it, and once you get to the first floor, just make a run for it. I don't know where you go, but I pray that you escape safely. Alright-" He braced himself for a punch. "-hit us!"

"What?" exclaimed Mrs. Pratt.

"Just do it!" replied Diminuitive.

"If you insist," Mr. Sweetwater said, and he approached Bloodpudding. Gulping, he then knocked the red-haired scientist down with a single punch.

"Alright, brace yourself!" warned Mr. Van Stomm, and he kicked Diminuitive.

"Thanks for your help!" said Mr. Barnes, right before he punched Blair.

"Wow," Mr. Rai said as he faced Tancien. "I've never hit an old guy before..."

"Just do it!" cried Tancien. Gulping, Mr. Rai downed the elderly scientist with one punch.

"So sorry!"

* * *

Isabella led the escapees through the cavity between the finished inventions and the wall from the door to the cells to the exit. Motioning for them to hurry, the girl slightly increased her speed as she made her way through the cavity. Unfortunately, she went too fast and she bumped into the Tri-State Bomber Bloodpudding said would be guarding the exit: David. Isabella stared at her father's blue eyes, which stared back. David smiled grimly in greeting.

"Don't wander about, Isa," he said in a fake concerned tone. "You might wander off, and it's too dangerous- OOF!"

Jack had punched David to the ground. "Stay away from her, you monster!" snarled Jack.

David prepared to activate his walkie-talkie, but Jack knocked him out with two punches to the face. Mr. Sweetwater and Mr. Stoner dragged David's unconscious form into the cavity before Jack opened the exit door. At that moment, an alarm pierced the room's atmosphere; their minute had passed.

Jack helped the escapees out of the DEI laboratory before looking at Isabella with concern.

"You all right, Isabella?" he asked.

"Yeah, yeah I'm okay," replied Isabella. "Thanks, Mr. Davison."

Jack smiled. "No problem. Now, come on!"

Isabella and Jack followed the rest to the elevators, where they found Mr. Rai pressing one of the 'Down' buttons desperately.

"Come on, come on, _come on_!" pleaded Mr. Rai as he continued pressing it.

Finally, three minutes had passed when the doors of all six elevators slid open, and the escapees separated into groups and stepped inside. Isabella prepared to step inside when she saw David running for them, his revolver aimed for her.

"COME BACK HERE, ISA!" called David.

"GET IN, LEADER, HURRY!" cried Gretchen, and Isabella didn't waste any second. Boarding the elevator just in time to evade a bullet, the girl pressed a button that caused the doors to close. However, David was able to reach his arms through the still-narrowing cavity and grab Isabella's shoulders.

"AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!" screamed Isabella. "_HELP ME_!"

"LET HER GO, YOU SON OF A-" Jack roared, kicking David hard in the chest, knocking the wind out of the former bomber and sending him flying backward, allowing the doors to slide shut completely. Traumatized, Isabella embraced Jack and began crying.

"There, there, Isa," Jack said, "it's okay. It's okay, we're here..."

Vivian, Gretchen, Norm, the Brown family, and the Sweetwater family watched on, Vivian looking impressed with Jack's concern for her daughter.

"Aw," Norm said, "that's just so sweet. Reminds me of the time I got my popsicle-stick wife...I wonder what happened to her..."

Meanwhile, David coughed and watched as the elevator doors slid shut, separating him from his daughter. Clutching his chest, he watched as Phineas, accompanied by Rodney, Roderick, and several O.W.C.A. agents, arrived on the scene. Phineas was wearing a mask of rage.

"WHAT IN THE WORLD HAPPENED?" Phineas roared.

"I...I t-tried...t-to...st-stop t-them...boss..." coughed David.

Phineas growled at the elevator that Isabella took and then roared out a screech that echoed through the whole hallway, a screech of inhumane proportions. The captives had got away, and now, Operation: Brown was compromised.

"WE _HAVE_ TO GET THOSE CAPTIVES BACK!" he screamed.

"We're on it, boss!" Rodney replied, and he, Roderick, and the agents all left, leaving Phineas and David to wallow in their fury at this latest failure.

Little did the two villains know that Bloodpudding, Diminuitive, Blair, and Tancien, now the Red Triangle's secret resistance, were watching, proud of their handiwork.

"A job well done, guys," said Bloodpudding.

* * *

The escapees emerged from the DEI building and were immediately bathed in the sunlight. Passing two pedestrians that were talking amongst each other, Jack looked at his scratched watch and saw that it was now 9:37 AM.

"Where are we going now?" asked Holly.

"I don't know, sweetie," replied Mr. Stoner. "Anywhere."

Suddenly, the O.W.C.A. bus appeared from the alleyway next to DEI and stopped in front of the escapees.

"Is that the O.W.C.A. bus?" asked Mr. Pratt.

"Wasn't it split in half before?" Carl asked.

As if on cue, the bus split itself in half. Then, the halves began transforming in front of the escapees, like something out of a _Transformers_ movie. Finally, the two halves turned into two robots. One of the robots had four arms and a set of cords dangling from its back in the form of a cape; a machine gun was mounted on its left shoulder. The other resembled a crab, with four legs and a large, curved spike protruding from each shoulder; a machine gun was mounted on its right shoulder. Both robots had the same head, a head that looked like Norm's, except it had black hair, a unibrow, and a grim frown instead of a pleasant smile.

The shoulder-mounted machine guns on both robots aimed themselves at the escapees, and the two robots ordered simultaneously, "Surrender or be annihilated!"

"Excellent job, Morn Bots!"

Rodney had appeared from the DEI building, accompanied by Roderick and the agents. Roderick faced the escapees and explained, "Using Norm's instruction manual, which Doofenshmirtz never bothered to read, foolish him, we have managed to reverse-engineer Norm and build these two! They're Morn Alpha-" He pointed at the four-armed robot. "-and Morn Beta." He pointed at the four-legged robot. "Together, they're the Morn Duo. Now, enough with explanations! Your attempt at escape was futile, and I'm sorry to say that you will not succeed. MORN DUO, _SEIZE THEM_!"

"I DON'T THINK SO!"

Rodney, Roderick, the agents, and the Morn Duo looked down the street, and the former two gasped while the agents struck fighting poses. The escapees looked at Rodney and Roderick's direction and gasped, and Django began to wonder if believing in hope was useful after all.

For standing there was Ferb, Candace, Perry, Doofenshmirtz, Vanessa, Baljeet, Buford, Linda, Charlene, and Lawrence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUN! The Flynn-Fletchers, the Doofenshmirtzes, and Baljeet and Buford are alive! Wow, what a big surprise there! XD XD XD And it also looks like Django and Adyson are beginning to bond, while some of L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. are having second thoughts about teaming up with an absolute madman like the Shadow!
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	19. Terrible Futures and Other Dimensions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being rescued, Isabella and the others learn the reason of the survival of the Flynn-Fletchers, the Doofenshmirtzes, Baljeet, and Buford. By the end of the day, it's clear that one heck of a fight is underway!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now THIS should be a pretty crazy chapter! To all of you old readers, you know what this means! And to all of you new readers...let's just say this chapter promises great things to come. ;)
> 
> Alright, on with the darn chapter! ENJOY!
> 
> P.S.: Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

"YOU!" Rodney roared, pointing at Doofenshmirtz. "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE **DEAD**! ALONG WITH ALL OF THE REST!"

"Too bad, Rodney," replied Doofenshmirtz, smiling. "It's just that you can't kill us!"

**"IT'S ALOYSE EVERHEART ELIZABETH OTTO WOLFGANG HYPATIA GUNTHER GALEN GARY COOPER VON RODDENSTEIN, NOT RODNEY!"**

While the Red Triangle stared on in shock at Ferb and his comrades, Isabella and the others seized the chance to run over to their friends; the Rai and Van Stomm couples embraced their sons with loving relief, as did Jeremy with Candace. The Morn Duo sprung forward to capture them, but Doofenshmirtz trapped them in a bubble fired by his Coition-Inator. Growling in outrage, Roderick tried to take out his walkie-talkie, but it suddenly made a crackling noise and began spouting electricity; the bomber dropped it with a yelp of surprise, just before the walkie-talkie exploded.

"WHAT THE-?" began Roderick, just before a laser came into his sights and he had to jump out of the way; the laser instead hit an O.W.C.A. agent and rendered it unconscious.

"FREEDOM FIGHTERS, GO!" a new voice called out.

Eight people leapt from the shadows, and they moved so fast that they were blurs. Two of the eight threw several spheres that flashed brilliant rays of light for a split-second, stunning the Red Triangle, before four others engaged them in battle. The Morn Duo managed to break free of the bubbles that imprisoned them and moved in towards Ferb, Isabella, and their friends, but two of the eight landed in front of the robots. Isabella and Gretchen looked on with shock as their older selves motioned them to stay back.

"Get at a safer distance," said Future Isabella to Ferb. "This is gonna get dirty!" The black-haired woman then turned to Future Gretchen. "Gretchen, take the four-armed one! I'm battling the crab-like robot!"

"Aye aye, sir!" Future Gretchen replied, and she leapt onto Morn Alpha's head, punching it with her gloved fists. As for Future Isabella, she ran forward and slid under Morn Beta before it can grab her; procuring a laser gun, the woman began shooting at the robot's underside, and it collapsed in pain, just seconds after Future Isabella made it through the cavity.

"Is that us?" asked Gretchen, pointing at her older self as she struggled to find access to Morn Alpha's wiring.

"Yeah," Ferb replied, backing off. "We'll explain later; for now, we have to run!"

"OH, NO YOU DON'T!"

Monogram, and Pinky had appeared behind the group, looking on with zombie-like expressions masking their faces, ready to carry out their single goal. However, Ferb and Candace procured strange ray guns and fired blue lasers at Monogram and Pinky, hitting them with full accuracy. However, the blows didn't send the two O.W.C.A. employees back; instead, they merely shook their heads and looked around.

"What's going on?" asked Monogram. "Where are we?"

"IT WORKS!" Doofenshmirtz exclaimed, catching the superior's attention.

"_You_!" Monogram cried at the former villain, his eyes narrowing. "What did you do to us?"

Before Monogram can close in on Doofenshmirtz, Perry and Carl stepped in between the two.

"It's okay, sir!" Carl said. "Doofenshmirtz is on our side now!"

"Our side?" Monogram looked at Doofenshmirtz suspiciously, and the scientist smiled back. "I'm not convinced..."

"No, he has, sir!" interjected Vanessa, putting a hand on her father's shoulder. "I can vouch for that!"

"Me too!" Charlene added.

Perry chattered in agreement, and Monogram looked down at the platypus agent, surprised that his best employee was agreeing with this ridiculous fact. Then again, Perry knew Doofenshmirtz for years, Monogram realized, and would be the most sincere towards him if there was any assumption that the evil scientist had turned good.

"If you say so, Agent P," replied Monogram. Meanwhile, Pinky trembled with excitement at the sight of his three colleagues.

_"Perry!"_ barked Pinky. _"Fred! Randy!"_

_"So good to see you again, Pinky!"_ Perry chattered back. _"By the way, your owner's present, if you'd like to know."_

Pinky stopped trembling for once and looked up at Isabella, who looked back in shock and betrayal. Gulping, Pinky then flashed an innocent smile, all the while thinking, _"Now I know how Perry felt when his owners first discovered his secret..."_

"Look," said Monogram, "usually, we do what we have to do right now, but considering what's happening around us, I'll be lenient and save it for later! For now, LET'S RUN! GO, GO, GO!"

"Not if we can help it!"

David and Sid had appeared from the DEI building and approached the group, aiming shotguns at them.

"Now, Isa," David snarled at his daughter, "I don't want to hurt you as much as you don't wanna die by my hand, so I suggested you and your friends come along quietly, or I'll-"

"You'll what? Shoot me?"

The future versions of Isabella and Gretchen had appeared, the Morn Duo already crumpling to the ground, short-circuited. They were armed with their laser guns and putting on fighting stances. David and Sid looked at each other in confusion before the two former bombers burst into vivacious laughter.

"Well, well, well," said David after he finished cackling, "if it isn't my little girl!" He examined Isabella's voluptuous figure, smiling. "And look at how much you've grown! A fine lady you've become, Isa! You sure live up to the definition of your very name! The Phineas of your timeline sure is a lucky guy!"

"And look at you, too!" Sid greeted, looking at Future Gretchen, all the while smiling with a freakish sadism. "Such a lovely figure! Would you mind giving me your number so I can have a little playtime with you later?" Sid made his point clear by wolf-whistling, his eyes batting disturbingly.

"You dare say _that_ to my daughter?" Jack snarled, but Future Gretchen looked at her father and motioned for him to stop.

"Don't, Dad," she said. "I'll take care of this."

"Sure you will," replied Sid, snickering as he prepared to shoot Future Gretchen. However, the auburn-haired woman grabbed the shotgun barrel and thrust it upward; Sid fired at the ceiling, and small pieces of concrete rained down on him. With the bomber distracted, Future Gretchen took advantage of it to kick him in the face, knocking him unconscious.

Meanwhile, David tried to shoot Future Gretchen, but Future Isabella punched him in the face, causing him to drop his firearm. Future Isabella then grabbed the shotgun and butted David in the head, sending him to the sidewalk, clutching his forehead in pain. The woman was about to join Future Gretchen, but David recovered and grabbed her leg; in response, Future Isabella fired a taser onto his back, and the bomber yelped out as he was electrocuted before being knocked unconscious.

High-fiving, Future Isabella and Future Gretchen then joined Ferb, Isabella, and the others, who had witnessed the seconds-long scene progress with shock and interest.

"There's no time in just standing there," Future Isabella ordered. "We've gotta go!"

"That's right!" replied Ferb. "Into the hoverbus!"

"Hoverbus?" asked Milly.

"Yeah, hoverbus," Future Gretchen said as Future Isabella turned to the rest of what was called the Freedom Fighters.

"FREEDOM FIGHTERS!" she called sternly. "RETREAT!"

"Yes, sir!" called a blond-haired man in his early twenties, and he turned to the rest of the fighters and signaled them to retreat, to which they abandoned their battles with the Red Triangle and followed Future Isabella.

Meanwhile, the others had reached this so-called "hoverbus", a transit bus with no wheels, instead jet engines, and wings protruding from its sides. It was definitely a vehicle from the future, all right.

"Come on, everyone!" ordered Future Gretchen. "Get in!"

Everyone did so and boarded the bus. Suddenly, before Django, Beppo, and Future Gretchen can follow, Sid appeared on the bus's roof, a maniacal grin on his twitching face as he anticipated the impending fight. Cackling, Sid leapt from the roof and kicked Future Gretchen, slamming her onto the bus and incapacitating her. The bomber then punched Beppo and shoved him out of the way. Not bothering to just finish him off right there, Sid instead made the decision to close in on Django.

"DJANGO!" cried Adyson.

"Why stay on their side," said Sid sadistically, "when it's _so_ obvious that we're gonna win, Django? Join us, I insist!"

"Never!" Django replied boldly.

Sid chuckled. "I had a feeling you'd say that."

The bomber then took something out of his pocket and pressed a button on it; a razor-sharp, menacing blade flipped out from the object and glinted in the sunlight. Django's eyes widened as Sid grabbed the collar of his shirt and raised the switchblade.

"It's a shame, really," said Sid, frowning. "It'd be a huge waste of talent; you would've made a great advisor for us! But, the boss told me to get rid of anyone who resisted, and I haven't killed in months! So, goodbye Django. And please do me a favor and tell the big man up in the sky I said _hello_."

"NNNNNOOOOO! NOT MY SON!"

Beppo ran forward with all of his might and tackled Sid to the ground, and the bomber dropped his switchblade in the tussle. Django watched in horror as his father wrestled with Sid. Beppo was instantly winning, his fists constantly flying across Sid's face and neck in furious blurs; Sid's face was becoming bloodier with every punch, and each movement he had seemed to weaken in effort. Django finally realized that his father wasn't gonna stop until Sid was dead, and he yelled, "DAD! STOP!"

Beppo stopped immediately and looked at his son softly. Django ran forward and embraced his father in a hug, and he began sobbing into his shoulder. Unfortunately, their hug gave Sid time to recuperate, and when father and son parted, the bomber, cackling heavily, punched Beppo in the face and shoved Django aside. He then took out a gun of a strange design and aimed its clean barrel at Beppo's forehead.

"This thing is a little invention of Phineas's," explained Sid. "One shot from this thing and you instantly die. I haven't seen it for myself until now, so, goodbye sir-"

"NNNNNOOOOO! NOT MY DAD!"

Django was sprinting towards Sid, something in his hand, and the boy made a swift slashing movement. Sid screamed as something flew into the air, while a few tiny specks of liquid splattered themselves on Django's face. The bomber then bent double, clutching his right arm in pain as he continued to scream out in pure agony, actually making a few nearby windows crack. Beppo realized with a shock that Django was holding Sid's switchblade, now stained with blood, and the specks of liquid on Django's face were more blood.

Beppo embraced his son again as Django dropped the switchblade.

"It's okay, son," Beppo said comfortingly. "You did what you needed to do."

"I know," replied Django. "For now, let's escape."

The two Browns ran to the hoverbus, helped Future Gretchen into the vehicle, and the rest of the Freedom Fighters boarded. Carl once again took control of the futuristic bus and sped the bus into the air.

Once the bus disappeared, Rodney and Roderick regrouped, their clothes torn and skin scratched and slightly bloody from their fights.

"We've gotta alert the boss about this newest outcome!" said Roderick.

"We can't do that!" Rodney replied fearfully. "He's gonna kill us for sure!"

"Then we die with our honor!"

"What honor?"

"JUST DO IT, RODNEY!"

**"IT'S ALOYSE EVERHEART ELIZA-"**

"Are we _seriously_ doing this right now? _DO IT_!"

Rodney sighed in defeat and took out his walkie-talkie, while Roderick ran off to attend to Sid. Pressing a button, he waited for Phineas's voice to respond.

"This had better be good, Rodney!" came Phineas's enraged voice.

For once, Rodney didn't bother to reply to being called his nickname. Instead, he sighed and voiced his reply.

"Boss, we have a serious problem on our hands..."

* * *

No one noticed the hoverbus streaking across the morning skies, for the futuristic vehicle was hidden by a cloaking device. Even the most advanced radar systems were unable to detect it as it flew past a Danville-situated U.S. Army base. Inside, everyone was gaping in awe at the eight warriors from the future. There was the future versions of Isabella and Gretchen, who were unanimously the leaders of the so-called Freedom Fighters. The other six were Adyson, Jeremy, Stacy, Coltrane, Irving, and Albert, all ten years older.

"So," said Mr. Barnes to Ferb, "how'd you guys survive that explosion?"

"_We_ came to them," replied Future Isabella, sitting beside her younger self.

"You see," explained Future Gretchen, "the eight of us come from ten years in the future, a future where the Flynn-Fletchers, the Doofenshmirtzes, Baljeet, and Buford all actually died on that island. A future where Phineas succeeded in conquering the world. In fact, during the past decade of our timeline, he has also managed to take over every civilization in the Milky Way galaxy. The Martians, Meap's home planet, everything. Additionally, he has taken over the multiverse as well, conquering every dimension and their interpretation of the Milky Way galaxy, starting with the 2nd Dimension.

"His reign over everything was pure bedlam. Everyone had to wear clothing that suited the Red Triangle. At the end of each and every day, everyone had to come to a temple constructed in Phineas's honor and worship in it for two hours straight; no one had to leave early, no one had to be late. Schools taught only the Red Triangle's ideology and nothing else. Every movie, book, and music made must have something to do with the Red Triangle. Phineas brought back the Romans' gladiator games and had crowds of people watch with horror in stadiums as prisoners fought wildlife, either from here, other planets, or other dimensions, to the death. And to top it all, there's no such thing as summer."

"What?" exclaimed Isabella. "_No summer_?"

"Yeah, it's a horrible future," Future Isabella replied. "The 2nd Dimension Candace restarted the Resistance, and made it exclusive to everyone across the multiverse. The eight of us were amongst the hundreds who signed up almost immediately. Eventually, we renamed ourselves the Freedom Fighters to ensure that Phineas knows how serious we are in ending his reign once and for all. Unfortunately, without the technological savvy we saw in Phineas or Ferb, we are unable to create any inventions guaranteed to make Phineas normal, so we had to fight him the tough way, by resisting daily.

"However, Phineas was way too clever than the 2nd Dimension Doofenshmirtz; anyone who resisted him was immediately hunted down, captured, and punished to brutal death. Finding locations where we can station ourselves in secrecy was difficult. More and more members had begun dropping out of the Freedom Fighters. We still have plentiful numbers, but it won't be long until there are only a few of us left. And that was when Irving helped lead us to the past."

Future Irving said, "I had managed to ruin a perfectly good speech by one of Phineas's generals, and I sought shelter in the abandoned museum. There, I found the time machine Phineas and Ferb used to travel back into prehistoric times. When the Freedom Fighters was founded, our first plan was to use the time machine to alter the past, but the takeover got the device severely damaged and without Phineas or Ferb to fix it, it was deemed a hopeless plan. But, as Phineas and Ferb's devoted stalker, I used the information I gathered from them during those good ol' days to fix the machine by myself, as well as make some modifications. Through a lot of determination, it finally worked, and here we are, preventing the deaths of our friends! We teleported ourselves onto the island and took them with us before the island was obliterated."

"Why didn't you just prevent Phineas from being zapped in the park?" asked Mr. Sweetwater.

"We were planning on doing that," replied Future Stacy, "but the Phineas of our timeline found out our plan and landed a good shot on the time machine right before it activated its teleporting mechanism. Damaged, the machine lasted long enough to land us hours before you guys arrived on the island."

"And now," added Future Jeremy. "the time machine's no longer functioning, and Irving lost his information and Phineas's blueprints. And unfortunately, we had to land on top of the time machine of your current timeline, so we are stuck here without any time machine. The only thing we can do now is cure Phineas of his evil to prevent the future from which we came from happening."

"You took care of that, right?" Monogram asked. "I mean, me and Agent P were zapped by those ray guns that cured us?"

"Yes, my Turn-Everything-Good-Inators," Doofenshmirtz replied proudly. He then raised an eyebrow. "Wait a minute, Perry the Platypus wasn't turned evil!"

"No, I meant Agent P here." Monogram pointed at Pinky. Doofenshmirtz's eyes widened.

"You know, you need to find a way to help distinguish your agents better."

"What're you talking about, Doofenshmirtz?"

"Oh, forget it."

"Wait," said Candace, "why didn't we just confront Phineas and zap him? We would've turned him good hours ago, and yet, we didn't!"

"Phineas has that gargantuan army flanking him!" replied Future Isabella. "He would've captured us in seconds! We need to increase our ranks if we are to fight back."

"And I know just where to start!" Ferb said as the hoverbus landed in front of the Flynn-Fletcher house, which was surrounded by crime-scene tape but completely devoid of any police officers.

* * *

In Perry's headquarters, Isabella watched alongside her older self on a couch as Perry helped Ferb and Doofenshmirtz with something. Bored, Isabella decided to examine her future self and noted how good-looking the woman was...how good-looking _she_ was. Future Isabella had an attractive hourglass figure that was expressed efficiently with her tight clothes that seemed like straps instead. Her raven-black hair, which fell to her well-curved shoulders, was sleek and shone with a proud brilliance. Her legs were curvy, the tan skin well-lotioned.

Shifting her focus from her future self's physicality, Isabella looked at Future Isabella's face and saw that she was no longer looking at Ferb and Perry, but nowhere in particular. Her eyes were soft and glistening; Isabella knew that Future Isabella was hurt about something, and she knew what it was.

"You're sad about Phineas, aren't you?" she asked.

Future Isabella looked at her, smiled sadly, and replied, "Yeah... It's been ten years. Ten years since I last saw the Phineas I fell in love with. And the last time I saw him, I hurt him, and I never got the chance to apologize. And to think one mere misinterpretation of words would lead to a lot." She sighed. "Now I'll never get the chance to tell Phineas I love him."

Isabella then remembered something her future self revealed to her.

"You said the people of the 2nd Dimension are members of the Freedom Fighters?"

"Yeah. If you're talking about the 2nd Dimension Phineas, then it's hopeless for me as well: he's going out with my doppelganger. She was definitely bolder than me, for she just confronted him one day, kissed him, and told him she loved him. And lo and behold! The two are the perfect couple."

"Oh." Isabella looked on pitifully at her future self's downcast mood. "I'm so sorry."

Future Isabella looked at her younger self, smiling, before replying, "If there's anything I learned from my 2nd Dimension self, it's that you must _never_ hesitate. Once all of this is over, you can apologize to Phineas by kissing him and declaring your long-lasting love for him. No distractions. No hesitations. Nothing. Cause you never know when the unexpected will happen before you finally get the guts to say those three words. Like what happened four days ago. Don't let the timeline be constant. ...Don't end up like _me_, endlessly starving for hopeless love."

Isabella smiled back at Future Isabella. "I know. I've realized that now. I _mustn't_ hesitate. I WON'T!"

"I know you won't."

Meanwhile, Django and Adyson were looking at Future Adyson, who too was staring out into space. Like Future Isabella, the Adyson of the future also had a voluptuous hourglass figure, and her hair, while styled just like the younger Adyson's, was shiny and flowing. Adyson gulped, not sure on how to begin a conversation with her future self. Fortunately, Django did the liberty of starting one for her.

"So, where's the older me?" he asked. Future Adyson looked at him and smiled warmly.

"Oh," she replied, "he's still in the future, heading a division stationed in the northwestern side of the Tri-State Area."

"Why didn't he come with you?" asked Adyson. "Surely he would've wanted to come along so he'd make things right. After all, he blamed himself for causing Phineas's evil, inadvertently so."

"He moved on from that."

Django and Adyson looked at each other, confused, before nodding in reluctant agreement. Django then looked off into the distance, spacing out; Adyson noticed this.

"You all right?" she asked.

Django was silent for a moment before replying, "That guy who tried to kill me and my dad...I hurt him."

"That was self-defense, Django, and you know it."

"But I actually sliced his hand off!" Django looked at the Fireside Girl. "What if he dies from that injury?"

Adyson placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Then you killed a bad guy. He deserved a terrible punishment like that ever since he committed whatever his first crime was. And the world no longer has to suffer from this guy's evil anymore. Besides, it wasn't personal. You did it in self-defense, to protect your father, am I right?"

"But I never actually _killed_ anyone before! Maybe in video games I have, but in _real life_?"

"If you don't want that guy to die," Adyson replied softly, "then do what I told you before. Keep believing in hope. After all, it's what helped to make our friends that island fiasco."

Django smiled; for some reason, he really liked it whenever Adyson told him to believe.

"Sure thing, Addie," he replied. Adyson raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, so you're calling me 'Addie' now?"

"Sorry. I thought that would suit better for me-"

"No. I like it."

Django and Adyson smiled at each other longingly, and Future Adyson watched with sadness in her eyes.

"We got it!" Ferb suddenly cried, and Isabella, Future Isabella, Django, Adyson, and Future Adyson and the others looked at him and Perry as the screen blared.

_**"Autoscan replication initiated,"**_ a mechanized male voice thundered from the computer.

And everyone watched with awe as every invention Phineas and Ferb made in the entire summer materialized before them. Also materializing was every Inator Doofenshmirtz made during the summer.

Ferb looked at Perry and said, "So, you _didn't_ miss out on what me and Phineas did!"

Perry nodded and wrote in his notebook, _"I will_ never _miss out in whatever you do."_

Meanwhile, Charlene looked at her husband. "Heinz, you built _all of this_, and I never found out?"

"See, Mom?" exclaimed Vanessa. "I told you I was right!"

"Yes, Charlene," Doofenshmirtz replied, smiling modestly. "All of this is my work."

Charlene looked at the Inators, and smiled.

"It's quite amazing, Heinz."

"Same with Ferb," said Linda, stepping forward as she looked at Candace. "Candace, I'm so sorry for not believing your so-called wacky accusations."

Candace and Vanessa looked at each other before high-fiving and crying out triumphantly, "WHOO-HOO! THEY'RE _BUSTED_!"

Ferb smiled as the inventions all finished materializing, and he announced, "Everyone, I know what we're gonna do today! We're gonna save Phineas and the world!"

Everyone cheered with joyous triumph.

* * *

The rest of the day was spent gathering as much members and weapons as possible into the new resistance.

Baljeet and Buford gathered every fan of _Space Adventure_ and _Stumbleberry Finkbat_, respectively, in Danville and armed them with fake weapons. Combining Phineas's blueprints with the expertise of Clive Addison, Ferb was able to make the fake weapons supplied able to work as real-life weapons.

Doofenshmirtz used his inventions to recreate his troops of Doof Clones and enslaved monkeys. The scientist then programmed the troops to not follow orders from Phineas, only from himself and his family.

Monogram was able to contact Colonel Collins, one of the superiors working in the O.W.C.A.'s Seattle division, and the colonel sent in a small army of Seattle-based agents led by none other than Peter the Panda, who highlighted his arrival by punching Doofenshmirtz in the nose. Perry was able to settle things between Doofenshmirtz and Peter before it got out of hand. Monogram also called Inspector Initials, a superior for the British Spy Union, and she sent in a squad of her own agents, led by Agent Double 0-0.

After experiencing some difficulty in negotiations, Pinky finally managed to convince his arch-nemesis, Professor Poofenplotz, to join the resistance by stating through Ferb that she now had competition in her quest to conquer the world, competition that is guaranteed to succeed. Her inventions turned out to be more powerful than Doofenshmirtz's, despite them being focused mostly on the woman's desire to stay beautiful. Isabella still found it comical that her dog fought this elderly woman.

Ferb was able to construct a satellite, which he used to send a message to Meap requesting for help. Meap and a large squad of Intergalactic Security Agents subsequently arrived to Earth via invisible spaceship and lent their services. Surprisingly, Mitch was aboard the spaceship, for he was held prisoner there when Meap received Ferb's message, and the alien poacher was forced into helping the resistance by lending them his weapons.

Using the portal Phineas and Ferb built for Baljeet, Candace reluctantly returned to Mars and convinced the resident Martians to help. The first thing the Martians did upon arriving on Earth was destroy every object running on electricity in Perry's lair before being settled down by Candace. Doofenshmirtz helped Perry rebuild by using his Rebuild-My-Lair-Inator.

Thaddeus and Thor used their blueprints to recreate every invention they made during the summer, and though not as superior as Phineas and Ferb's inventions, theirs proved to be as useful and efficient in battle. The inventions included gloves that allowed its wearer to punch through any solid substance without being hurt, boots that allowed its wearer to walk on any surface, and a sphere that can turn into a variety of weapons, amongst others. They also gathered their friends, all undoubtedly doppelgangers of Phineas and Ferb's friends, for further assistance.

Ferb also called in Buck Buckerson and his monster truck-driving friends, and told them to bring along their vehicles, for there was some "serious riding to do". Buck immediately agreed and monster trucks were found revving their engines in preparation at the front yard within seconds.

All the while, Linda, Lawrence, and Charlene were so surprised that Doofenshmirtz and Ferb knew so much people.

It was almost sundown when the resistance had to move to the wrecked O.W.C.A. headquarters as their new station whenever their numbers began to rise dramatically. And yet, there was still some more recruits to go.

* * *

"It's finished, guys!" announced Doofenshmirtz.

Doofenshmirtz, Ferb, and Perry had finished rebuilding the Other-Dimension-Inator, which now stood majestically before the resistance. Ferb held the Other-Dimension-Inator remote in his hand, ready for inter-dimensional travel.

"Wow," said Mr. Van Stomm. "So there are actually other _dimensions_, like those sci-fi films say?"

"Yes, yes there is," Ferb replied. He then turned to Doofenshmirtz. "Doofenshmirtz, activate the Other-Dimension-Inator!"

Doofenshmirtz nodded and pressed a button on the Inator, which instantly fired a green laser into the atmosphere before expanding into a portal, shattering the laws of physics like falling glassware. The first image shown was a black couch with blood-red cushions.

"Wow," said Doofenshmirtz. "That couch is still there."

"Alright," announced Ferb, "Perry, Doofenshmirtz, Candace, Isabella, Baljeet, Buford, Django, Fireside Girls, you all come with me into the 2nd Dimension. The rest of you, stay in here and wait for us."

"Are you sure you guys should be going in there?" asked Linda.

"Don't worry, honey," Lawrence replied, "it should be safe. After all, Ferb and Candace have done this before, am I right, kids?"

"Yep," Candace replied.

"Alright," Linda said, "but just be careful, kids!"

"We will," replied Ferb as he and his group stepped through the portal. "We'll see you all soon!"

The portal then closed with a comical pop.

* * *

Ferb and his group looked around at the room they were standing in. It was the waiting room of the 2nd Dimension Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated building, once the laboratory of the Doofenshmirtz of the current dimension. Running out onto the balcony, the group examined the 2nd Dimension Danville, and Ferb noticed that it hasn't changed the last time he and Phineas were here. The city still looked dystopian, with futuristic-looking buildings with business logos all having one thing in common: they had 'Doofenshmirtz' as one of the words, or at least 'Doof'. Doofenshmirtz Theatre. Doof's Closet. Doof's Famous Almond Brittle. The subway trains still had the front of the cabs shaped in the one-eyed face of Doofenshmirtz-2. A blimp flew by, reading, **"HEINZ DOOFENSHMIRTZ, YOUR LEADER."**

"_This_ is the dimension you went to?" asked Isabella.

"Yeah," Ferb replied, shocked at what he was seeing. "I thought the Doofenshmirtz here was arrested and everything went back to normal."

"Things _did_ get back to normal," a voice said.

The group turned around to see none other than the 2nd Dimension Major Monogram sitting at a desk, wearing the same purple Arabian-style clothing Doofenshmirtz found him in.

"Hey there!" greeted Doofenshmirtz.

"Hey there yourself, other-dimension sir," replied Monogram-2.

"What happened here?" asked Ferb. "Wasn't the Doofenshmirtz of your dimension arrested?"

"He was," replied the former major, "but a decree that he established early in his rule ensured that only death would stop his rule, and besides, the jury was too cowardly to convict him even if they tried."

"So I'm still in control here?" Doofenshmirtz asked. "And I'm still an evil villain?"

"Yes and no. Yes, the almighty Doofenshmirtz is still our ruler. But, I also replied with no because, fortunately, the return of his beloved Choo-Choo train reshaped our leader's personality, and now, he's the kindest dictator the world's ever seen. He unleashed a new set of decrees in which people didn't have to wear Dooferalls, many customs that were initially abolished now returned, and summer exists. Aside from that, things are still the same as always. I continue to work as Doofenshmirtz's indentured executive assistant without any pay, Norm Bots continue to patrol the streets for troublemakers, and everyone must go to bed at 9:00."

"Well, that's good to hear," said Ferb. "Can we see Doofenshmirtz right now?"

"What're you talking about?" Doofenshmirtz asked. "I'm already he-" But the scientist immediately understood which Doofenshmirtz the British boy was referring to. "Oh, never mind."

"Sure, you may," replied Monogram-2, procuring a remote control and pressing a button. Several seats slid into the room. "Have a seat, everyone, and I'll let him know you're all on your way up."

"Thanks," replied Ferb, sitting into a chair, followed by Perry. The rest of his comrades took their own seats.

Within a split-second, everyone was jolted back as the chairs thrust themselves forward, theme-ride style, into a colorful room full of lawn gnomes and a man in a purple goat costume. Voices flowed from the lawn gnomes, all singing a song that Doofenshmirtz, Ferb, and Perry all heard and immediately recognized. However, Isabella, Baljeet, Buford, Django, and the Fireside Girls all looked around awkwardly at the scene, as they haven't been in the 2nd Dimension before.

* * *

_He's always right  
_ _He's never wrong  
_ _That's why we wrote  
_ _This catchy song  
_ _He's Doofenshmirtz_

_Bask in his glory  
_ _Kneel at his feet  
_ _You'll meet him in a second  
_ _You're in for such a treat  
_ _He's Doofenshmirtz_

_He's Doofenshmirtz_

* * *

The chairs all slid through a door with the word 'Goodbye' hanging over it in brilliantly large words, and into a dark room, where the chairs stopped.

"Wow," Django said. "That was _awesome_!"

"Wait a minute!" cried Doofenshmirtz. "Aren't we supposed to be in my other-dimension self's throne room?"

"Yeah," replied Ferb. "That's right; why is it so dark?"

Suddenly, light abruptly flooded itself into the room, bathing everyone in it and assaulting their sights. As they were blinded, six girls sprung out from the corners and threw ropes at Ferb's group, tying them all up expertly. Before anyone knew it, the 1st Dimension visitors all found themselves on the floor, being watched by the Firestorm Girls.

"Hey, is that us?" asked Katie.

Ginger examined herself and commented, "Wow. I'm rather good-looking."

"Silence!" ordered Gretchen-2 sternly.

"Wait, Gretchen!" cried Holly-2. "All of these guys look like us, as well as our people!"

"Which means-" Gretchen-2 began, but before she can complete her sentence, a new, high-pitched, male voice cut her off.

"They're from the other dimension."

Five people and a platypus stepped out of the darkness, and Ferb, Candace, Perry, and Doofenshmirtz gasped happily at the sight of them. The leader of the five was a tall man that was physically identical to Doofenshmirtz, except with no slouch, a goatee, and mostly black clothing, but he was immediately distinguished by the eyepatch wrapped over his right eye, the scar running across it. There was also a redheaded teenage girl identical to Candace in many ways, sans the stern, concerned look masking her face as she lowered her black sunglasses to examine the newest arrivals more efficiently. Flanking her were two boys, both physically identical to Ferb and Phineas; Ferb examined Phineas-2's eyes for any sign of green before concluding him as a friend. The fifth was a girl physically identical to Isabella, and she standing beside a half-robotic platypus that looked menacing in nature, but it smiled upon seeing Perry.

"Hey, me!" Doofenshmirtz greeted at Doofenshmirtz-2.

"Hey, best friend!" replied Doofenshmirtz-2 happily. "How's it goin'?"

"Not particularly well."

"Oh. Firestorm Girls, release 'em!"

The Firestorm Girls obeyed and released the captives. Doofenshmirtz-2 embraced his 1st Dimension doppelganger in a hug before speaking to him.

"What brings y'all back here?"

"We have a serious problem going on back at our dimension," replied Ferb. "It's our Phineas. He was zapped by our Doofenshmirtz's Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator and is now the most malevolent villain we've ever seen. He's out to conquer everything we know, and if we don't stop him, he's gonna eventually conquer your dimension!"

"What?" exclaimed Phineas-2, stroking Platyborg. "I can actually be capable of that much evil?"

"Apparently, yeah," Candace replied. She then looked at Candace-2. "Why are you all still in your Resistance clothing? If your Doofenshmirtz has turned good like the guy back there said, shouldn't you guys not be resisting him anymore?"

"We're not resisting Doofenshmirtz, yes," replied Candace-2, "but there's a guy called Rodney who's making constant attempts to overthrow our Doofenshmirtz and take over the Tri-State Area."

"**IT'S ALOYSE EVERHEART ELIZABETH OTTO WOLFGANG HYPATIA GUNTHER GALEN GARY COOPER VON RODDENSTEIN**!" a voice called out from nowhere. Candace-2 and Doofenshmirtz-2 rolled their eyes before continuing.

"Anyway, Doofenshmirtz needed as much help as he can get to thwart Rodney's attempts to take over, so he enlisted us to become his special forces unit for the Norm Bots. As a result, the Resistance is still an active organization."

"Why are we talking about all of this?" asked Phineas-2. "My other self is planning to conquer everything back in the other dimension, and we have to stop him!"

Isabella heard Isabella-2 sighed and looked at the Firestorm Girls leader; she was staring dreamily at Phineas. Isabella couldn't help but feel both happy and jealous for her doppelganger.

"That's right!" Candace-2 replied. "The other Phineas must be stopped before he succeeds! We shall join you guys in your fight!"

"Thank you very much," said Ferb.

"I'm helping too!" Doofenshmirtz-2 declared. "I shall command most of my Norm Bots and my Goozims to follow you all into the other dimension, while I commandeer my robot!"

"You're not gonna use this as an excuse to start conquering it, are you?" Ferb asked suspiciously.

"Of course not! As long as I have my Choo-Choo here-" The dictator took out a golden toy train from his pocket. "-then I'm as good as a whistle is clean!"

"Then it's settled then!" Ferb announced. "We will all go back to the 1st Dimension and prepare our fight! But we will have to travel clockwise through the circle of dimensions, because our remote is programmed to travel with the circle's flow of energy. Which is why we will enlist the residents of the following dimensions to help us!"

"I brought a gun version of my Slave-Inator for this occasion!" said Doofenshmirtz, tossing everyone a ray gun.

"Give me a sec, I will call in the rest of the Resistance!" Candace-2 said, running off.

"And I'll summon my Norm Bots!" said Doofenshmirtz-2 as he ran off, the 1st Dimension Doofenshmirtz following him, leaving everyone else to talk amongst one another.

* * *

_ **RED TRIANGLE DIVISION HEADQUARTERS!** _

Back in the 1st Dimension, Phineas watched as the robotic hand constructed for Sid was surgically implanted into his wrist, while everyone was dressing themselves into Red Triangle clothing. Phineas was enraged at the escape; the resistance was most likely increasing their ranks with new members. And once he sends out his forces to conquer the world, the resistance will retaliate, and he will indefinitely face defeat. It was something that the inventor didn't want.

Phineas approached Sid, who was adjusting to his new hand, and asked, "How do you feel, Sid?"

Sid faced him angrily. "Pissed off and ready to get my hands around that accursed neck that is Django Brown's!"

"You will, soon. For now, you will have to get used to that new hand I made for you. It's very useful; it can turn into a variety of different weapons and tools upon your neurological command."

"I know," snarled Sid, "and I hope that once I get the hang of it, I can use every weapon on that boy! DAMN IT, I _SHALL_ HAVE MY REVENGE!"

"Now you know how I feel," David interjected as he knelt against the wall.

"By the way, boss," said Rodney to Phineas, "how exactly are we gonna conquer this world with that resistance out there?"

A new voice spoke up, an unfamiliar voice, and yet, Phineas had a feeling that it was indeed familiar.

"You enlist me."

A figure stepped into the fray, and the eyes of everyone in the room widened, especially Phineas's.

"W-W-Wh-Wh-_Wha_?" stuttered Rodney.

"Well," David commented, "that is..._unexpected_..."

Phineas's shock turned into an evil happiness, and he stepped forward. "I never predicted an ally like you would step forward," he said, "but I'd be certainly glad to let you join. After all, we have _identical_ pursuits."

"Only you do," the figure replied. "_I_ accomplished them already."

"Figures," noted Sid.

"But maybe _you_ can help me accomplish mine," said Phineas, smiling. "After all, who would give better advice than myself?"

Emperor Phineas smiled back at his younger self. The young man was wearing all-red clothing with a cape that was torn, presumably for intimidation. A sheath holding a sword with a glittering ruby handle was placed on his belt, and there was also a holster that held a futuristic ray gun.

"Correct," Emperor Phineas said.

"_You_?" asked Sharpeard. "Helping _us_? While alone?"

"I knew better than to travel back in time alone, idiot," replied Emperor Phineas. At that moment, a portal opened, and out stepped several humans and aliens, every one of them coming from a portion of the galaxy/multiverse under Emperor Phineas's tyrannical rule. They were all led by a man in motorcyclist clothing, complete with a helmet. All of them were armed to the bone with machine guns and missile launchers.

The Phineas of the current timeline smiled. With his future self as an ally, victory was unanimously in his grasp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, I remember having so much fun assembling Ferb and Perry's army when I was first writing this. I think I had to scour through the entire Wikia to look for any and all people who would align themselves with our heroes. It was quite fun, getting everyone together in such a climactic showdown. But now, given that the show had expanded its canon since the conclusion of this fic, it looks like the army I have now only just scratched the surface. There's an entire roster of characters that weren't canon then that are canon now, characters that could've been allies in the final battle against the Shadow. I guess that's what I get for writing this whole thing before the show could wrap up.
> 
> As for Emperor Phineas, well, I am not all that sure where he came from now. Maybe I meant for his presence to be one of those demoralizing moments for the heroes, who'll realize they're now up against insurmountable odds because there is a future where the Shadow won, and that future version is helping the present-day version. But moreover, I guess this was my way of throwing time travel into the equation. Given how big the cast is, and how much stuff has just happened, I think I was trying my best to throw in absolutely EVERYTHING from the show, just to show how crazy this is.
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	20. The Battle for Phineas, Part 1 of 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's what you've all been waiting for: the battle for the world, the galaxy, the multiverse, and best yet, summer!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, everyone! This is the chapter of all chapters! The pinnacle of what has come so far! Without a doubt, this chapter will keep you at the edge of your seat, and trust me, this is only the beginning!
> 
> ENJOY!
> 
> P.S.: Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

Phineas knew he had to do something, and quickly. In the true reality, his reality, the Shadow was either making the final preparations to conquer the world, or was already doing it. Walking down the concrete sidewalk, the young, redheaded inventor watched as his father's house grew closer and closer. It wasn't Lawrence he was going to, but Phillip, for Phineas knew that only his biological father would hold an answer to his problem. Finally stepping onto the house's front patio, Phineas pressed the doorbell and heard the ringing reverberate throughout the house's interior.

The door opened, and Phineas gasped as he stared at not Phillip, but the Shadow.

"Good to see you again, boy."

Everything around Phineas and the Shadow once again dissolved into smoke, and the smoke revolved around the two in a vortex of color and sound. Phineas didn't notice; instead, he stared daggers at the Shadow, at his maliciously green eyes as they burned with triumph. The Shadow stared back, an evil smile on his face. Finally, everything settled back into place as the Shadow's reality, and Phineas's feet landed softly and smoothly on the cold, uneven ground.

"_Now_ what do you want?" Phineas asked angrily.

"I just wanted to thank you for loaning me your life," replied the Shadow. "After all, you sure have one good life. Had I been created in someone else, his or her life would prove to be inadequate and useless to my gains, unlike your life. And now, thanks to the life you once lived, the world is about to recognize its true master!"

Phineas's eyes widened. The Shadow was definitely about to conquer everything he knew.

"NO!" he cried. "You _can't_! You can't conquer the world!"

"Oh, I can. And I've just found out that not only there is just your world to conquer, but many others all over the galaxy! Does the name Meap sound familiar to you?"

Phineas gasped, the familiarity of Meap immediately flowing inside him. "YOU _MONSTER_!"

The Shadow cackled briefly. "And that's not all! There are other _dimensions_ that I can conquer, and those dimensions have their own interpretations of the Milky Way galaxy, all up for my grabs! My empire will extend throughout the galaxy and the multiverse! Man, imagine all of that POWER! All of it, clutched in my fist! And it's all thanks to you!"

"Wait," Phineas said, "what other dimensions?"

"You probably don't remember what happened. Here, let me show you!"

A projection was displayed on the purple mist ahead, and a series of images flashed by Phineas's eyes as the boy watched in shock. The images all depicted his forgotten adventure in the 2nd Dimension. Memories started flooding back into Phineas's mind, semi-audible voices seemed to speak to him in a dream-like state...

_"Good morning, Perry. Now that's the way to wake up. This is gonna be the best day ever!"_

_"You know, if we had TWO Perrys, we could put a net between them and play Platypult Badminton!"_

_"Who's Annette?"_

_"I'm Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, but my friends call me... I just got into such a funk."_

_"Oh, there you are, Perry."_

_"Hey, Dr. D! Look at this! You're famous here!"_

_"Oh, oh, this is rich! I see what's going on here! You, you really think that he's your pet, don't you? WRONG! He's using you! You're just his cover! He's a secret agent!"_

_"_Perry_?"_

_"You're a secret agent?"_

_"Are there four of you in this room?"_

_"Five, counting Perry."_

_"Summer. It sounds dangerous yet oddly compelling. What is it?"_

_"Whatcha_ doin'_?"_

_"I'll do whatever it takes to protect the ones I love."_

_"SEND THEM TO THEIR DOOM!"_

_"Phineas! CATCH!"_

_"Perry, trust me!"_

_"Alright, everyone! Let's kick some robot chassis!"_

_"Ya know something, kid? You've been a thorn in my side all day long. But that's about to change right now!"_

_"CHOO-CHOO!"_

_"Yes, yes, the next fifteen minutes should be a real hoot. Then of course, Agent P will be sent away_ forever_."_

_"I never built an Amnesia-Inator! ...I think I'd remember building something like that."_

_"Well, we've had a lot of great days, but we only have one Perry."_

_"Hey, buddy. Ferb and I just wanted to say our goodbyes. You know, we thought we'd met the real you when we found out you were Agent P. But the fact is, pet, secret agent, they're both the real you. You are now, and always have been, a great pet. We're gonna miss you, Agent P. ...I love you, pal."_

_"Sir, are you crying?"_

_"No, I'm sweating through my eyes."_

Finally, there was one memory that caught Phineas's attention...

_"Uh, Major Monogram?"_

_"Uh, yes?"_

_"So, none of us will remember any of today?"_

_"That's right."_

_"Good!"_

Isabella sounded as if she was kissing someone with all of her might.

_"_Isabella_!"_

_"Hit it, Carl!"_

_"Wait, wait, WAIT!"_

Phineas blinked and looked at the ground. Most of his memories had come back to him, like the revelation of Perry being a secret agent. And yet, not all of the memories were recovered. For example, he couldn't exactly remember whom Isabella kissed, and he wasn't able to hear the voices concerning that specific memory. The boy looked at his evil doppelganger, who smiled back evilly.

"Do you remember now, boy?" he asked.

"Most of it."

"What a shame. Meh, who cares? I'm not gonna waste my time helping you remember, for I've got an empire to establish. And you will be granted a front-row seat in witnessing everything fall before me! Oh wait, there's no front-row seat, for you're gonna be the only one watching! HAHAHA!"

Before Phineas can react, a cage descended from nowhere and enclosed him in its iron grasp.

"NO!" Phineas cried. "LET ME OUT, SHADOW!"

"Okay," replied the Shadow.

"Really?"

"Kidding! HAHAHAHAHA!"

Phineas growled in rage as his evil doppelganger walked away into the purple mist, still cackling.

"SHADOW! SHADOW, COME BACK HERE! _SHADOW_!"

But the Shadow just disappeared into the mist, his maniacal cackling echoing in the atmosphere. Phineas knelt down and slammed his fists onto the ground in rage. When the cackling persisted in its echoing, the boy then covered his ears, blocking his sense of hearing from being assaulted by the Shadow's triumphant laughing. He was left in a position that would make some question his sanity.

Still covering his ears, Phineas began to cry, with only his memories to cheer him up. And yet, those efforts would be fruitless.

He had lost.

* * *

"What's the boss doing?" asked Rodney as he curiously examined the sleeping form of his leader, the Phineas of the current timeline. It was currently 7:48 A.M., and the morning sun was shining through the single window. Two days had passed since the Red Triangle's captives had escaped for the second time, with the help of the Freedom Fighters.

"Probably chillin' out," Byron replied.

"Well," said Helmetair, "if he's chillin' out, then he sure does a whole lot of it!"

"He's not chilling out."

The three villains looked behind them with short yelps of shock and surprise and found Emperor Phineas standing before them, his arms crossed, his foot tapping itself against the cleaned floor of the guestroom.

"Oh, sir!" Rodney greeted nervously. "I mean, future sir! I mean-"

"Spare me," Emperor Phineas cut off. "I know what my past self is doing, and I'd prefer that you wouldn't intrude on his sleep as he does so."

"Yes, sir," replied Byron, and he left the guestroom and back into the DEI laboratory, followed by the two L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. members.

Once the trio was out of sight, Emperor Phineas looked at his younger self, only to find him already awake. The two separate humans, yet one soul, smiled grimly at one another.

"So," the emperor said, "what'd you do to that boy?"

"I ensured that he'd bear witness as the world, the universe, and the multiverse he knows falls before us, and that he'd feel a whole lot of pain."

"Very effective. That's what I did to my Phineas."

"What're you doing to him now?"

"I just let him wander about in my psychological reality, wandering around hopelessly until I die."

Phineas smiled maliciously. "Lovely. That's cuttin' it deep right there. I'll do that to my Phineas after we fully establish my empire!"

"Remember, Shadow, you still have to take care of those Freedom Fighters before we get to business!"

"I have Doof Clones scouting the whole of Danville for them, and they have orders to exterminate them upon sighting, without any survivors."

"Looking for them won't work," Emperor Phineas placed his hands on his hips. "Those Freedom Fighters, the ones that came here to your timeline, are clever, _very_ clever. They know exactly where to hide, exactly where we can't find them. I should know because I had to put up with their useless yet bold resisting for an entire decade. Probably the best thing for us to do is to lure them out. Use a ruse, an efficient one, and watch as they fall into our trap."

"And exactly what kind of ruse are you suggesting?" asked Phineas.

"We attack Danville."

Meanwhile, outside the guestroom, Bloodpudding gasped as he eavesdropped on the conversation between his leader and the emperor. Looking at his three comrades, he motioned them to return to the room storing the Red Triangle's Goozims. Diminuitive, Blair, and Tancien all nodded at his signal and followed him inside the room, where the Goozims were sleeping contently. Knowing better than to speak in outside voices, the four scientists talked to each other in whispers.

"What're we gonna do?" asked Diminuitive. "Knowing our so-called leader, he's definitely gonna go with annihilating Danville!"

"We _have_ to stop him!" Bloodpudding replied.

"But how?" Blair asked. "Now that the emperor and his forces are allies, there's no stopping especially the latter! There's an infinite amount of soldiers, humans, aliens, and other-dimensional creatures alike!"

"I don't know. But we have to think of something, and quick!"

Suddenly, the door opened, and Sharpeard and Bulkare stepped into the room.

"Hey, there you guys are!" greeted Sharpeard. "We were wondering where you four went!"

"Why're you all hiding out in here?" Bulkare asked.

"Nothing," replied Tancien. "We thought we'd just talk in private."

"Without the rest of L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N.'s knowledge?"

"It's nothing important," said Bloodpudding. "It's about chess, and the Inator I plan to create, which will ensure the user gives checkmates to his or her opponent immediately."

"Oh," Sharpeard replied. "Well, come on; both of our bosses have some announcements to make."

The four scientists gulped, knowing what kind of announcement it was, but they smiled innocently and followed their two acquaintances out of the Goozim room and into the main laboratory, where they found Rodney, Helmetair, the Tri-State Bombers, the Doof Clones, a few Red Triangle Robots, and several of Emperor Phineas's minions watching as both Phineas and Emperor Phineas stood in front of them. Bloodpudding stood next to Rodney and watched as Phineas, the Phineas of the current timeline, began his speech.

"Red Triangle! We are all aware that we have an army that opposes us at every turn! Well, I initially decided that they should be tracked down and destroyed immediately before we can begin Operation: Brown. But my future self suggested that instead of coming to _them_, they come to _us_."

"And how are we gonna do that, boss?" asked Rodney.

"Simple," replied Emperor Phineas. "We _attack_ Danville. Annihilate the streets. Invade neighborhoods. Obliterate everything in our path. We do whatever we wish until the Freedom Fighters respond by retaliating. And what a foolish mistake they would make, for we will be waiting for them with the unbeatable army that is all of you!"

The Red Triangle troops all roared out, and Bloodpudding, Diminuitive, Blair, and Tancien reluctantly joined to maintain their cover.

"So it's settled," Phineas replied. "We reveal ourselves to this wretched city!"

The troops roared out again, and Phineas, smiling, turned to the man dressed in motorcyclist clothing.

"Open up the roof!" the boy ordered.

The man nodded silently and pressed a button on Doofenshmirtz's master computer, the one that had been momentarily destroyed by its user but repaired. The roof of DEI opened up, bathing everyone in the morning sunlight. Both Phineas and Emperor Phineas chuckled, knowing that they were in the presence of absolute victory.

"RED TRIANGLE," Phineas screeched to not only his troops, but all of Danville, "ATTACK!"

* * *

The assault on Danville was disastrous. The Aerial-Class Robots began the attack by flying out of DEI first and raiding all nearby buildings with barrages of missiles. Then, the rest followed.

Phineas and Ferb's inventions were causing a deal of mayhem. Rover began snatching anything in its way with its mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. The Sun-Beater 3000 flew across downtown Danville, firing its weapons at every surrounding skyscraper as its riders fired at what was left with machine guns. The Brobots fired at pedestrians with their machine guns and were difficult to take down due to their armor-like exteriors of iron. The Treehouse Robots smashed and pummeled a particular amount of structures, and not a street was found without smoking piles of rubble.

L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N.'s inventions also resulted in destruction. Sharpeard's Turn-Automobiles-Into-Evil-Robots-Inator turned numerous vehicles at a car store into an army of robots that captured many civilians. Bulkare's Anger-Inator turned friends into enemies. Doofenshmirtz's Destruct-Inator, well, destroyed everything standing in its way. And Doofenshmirtz's Very-Very-Bad-Inator was also used, although its user, Rodney, found hitting people with it a monstrously difficult task, much like the Inator's creator.

The fighting expertise of the O.W.C.A. agents was unmatched. Pedestrians attempting to fight back fell before the wrath of Bertrand the Bear and Duke the Duck. Edwina the Eagle and Owen the Owl circled around a tall skyscraper, all the while shooting at the people seeking shelter on its many floors. Kenneth the Kitty and Kenny the Kangaroo led a squad of Doof Clones, Brobots, and Melee-Class Robots inside the Googolplex Mall to find anyone seeking shelter inside; anyone who was discovered was captured.

Anyone who encountered the Goozims didn't stand a chance against the beasts, and the streets were littered with bloody bodies. No one could successfully hide from the monsters either; the Goozims used their freakish ability to take on the shape of its environment to crawl through man-sized holes to reach its intended victims.

The Red Triangle Robots were difficult to take down due to their arsenal of weapons and durable armor. A man desperately threw a Molotov cocktail at a Range-Class Beta Sub-Class Robot, but the robot persisted, obviously not being affected by the flames that engulfed it. Meanwhile, an army of Defense-Class Robots shielded themselves and several other Red Triangle troops from an attack by the U.S. Army; no missiles or bullets were successful in penetrating the robots' reinforced shields.

But out of all of the Red Triangle's weapons, Phineas's Doomsday machine was wreaking the most havoc. Helmetair happily commandeered the machine as its numerous tentacles viciously tore through a skyscraper, causing it to implode within minutes and turn into rubble. The mighty machine then proceeded to do the same with the next structure, and fifteen minutes have passed when the female evil scientist brought down her thirtieth building.

As for the forces provided by Emperor Phineas, they were large in quantities, and they just kept on coming through the portal that led into the future where the emperor was in charge. Every time the numbers decreased for the Red Triangle's troops, the numbers would then triple in response. The megalomaniacal organization was unstoppable.

At DEI, Phineas, Emperor Phineas, David, the motorcyclist, and Bulkare watched with pleasure as their troops began to move out into Danville's suburban section, leaving a devastated downtown in its wake. Phineas cackled with all of his might, savoring the victorious moment that he greatly anticipated. It won't be long until the attention of the Freedom Fighters is caught, and the warriors would come to save the day, only to get captured by the massive opposing forces.

"It won't be long," noted Phineas. "Once those meddling fools come to stop us, we capture them on the spot and get them executed!"

"Remember, Phineas," Emperor Phineas replied, "those Freedom Fighters are sneaky. They will find a way to win."

"Correct. But not if I can help it." The boy turned to David and the motorcyclist. "You two, go command the troops."

"Yes, sir!" replied David, but the motorcyclist just nodded. Phineas stared at him suspiciously.

"Not much of a talker, are you?" the boy said.

"No, no they are not," replied Emperor Phineas. He then looked at his inferior. "Go."

The motorcyclist nodded again before taking out a sphere, pressing a green button, and throwing it into the air; the tiny object then unfolded into a futuristic motorcycle, which landed on the ground smoothly. The motorcyclist jumped onto it, followed by David, and the two sped off. Phineas then looked at Bulkare.

"Bulkare, stay here and guard that portal."

"Yes, sir!"

"Me, accompany me as I oversee the destruction somewhere else."

"Sure thing," replied Emperor Phineas.

"By the way, if you have a device that allows you to travel back in time, why not just prevent those Freedom Fighters from coming onto that island?"

Emperor Phineas smiled grimly. "I thought I'd make things more fun for myself."

Phineas smiled back. "That's me, all right!"

* * *

Still manning the Very-Very-Bad-Inator, Rodney led the Red Triangle troops as they began annihilating the suburbs. Families ran in fear, and houses were demolished entirely. The evil scientist cackled as he watched a Red Triangle Treehouse Robot grab a man, separating him from his wife and children as they cried out. The man struggled in the wooden robot's grip, but stopped as he stared into the robot's face, at its user, a Doof Clone, who cackled as he aimed a head-mounted machine gun at the father.

"DADDY!" one of the children cried.

Suddenly, a baseball bat flew out of nowhere, smacking the Doof Clone in the head and knocking him out, causing the robot to fall over and drop the father in the process. However, the Sun-Beater 3000, definitely not the Red Triangle's Sun-Beater 3000, flew into the scene, and the father landed safely in the cockpit. The father shook his head to alleviate his shock and examined the jet's riders: Holly, Katie, their 2nd Dimension counterparts, and two Waterfront Girls, the Fireside Girls of Thaddeus and Thor.

Meanwhile, Rodney watched in shock as the Freedom Fighters Sun-Beater 3000 landed smoothly on the ground, opened its cockpit to allow the man to reunite with his family, and then flew off again, towards none other than the Freedom Fighters' army. The 1st Dimension children were in the same inventions they were in when they fought Doofenshmirtz-2's Norm Bots, although Ferb was now with Perry on the Freedom Fighters Rover, holding his own baseball launcher, while Linda and Lawrence were inside one of the treehouse robots with Candace. All eight Freedom Fighters stared at the Red Triangle troops, the ones that were under the command of Emperor Phineas. Doofenshmirtz, Charlene, and Vanessa stood in front of the former's Inators. There was also the Seattle O.W.C.A. agents, led by Peter the Panda, all in their best fighting stances. The spies from the British Spy Union were riding either fancy cars or high-tech helicopters; Agent Double 0-0 was riding a motorcycle. Meap and his Intergalactic Security Agency colleagues were in their respective jets, arming their weapons in preparation for the fight. Professor Poofenplotz stared on angrily from her spider-like transport vehicle, her automated inventions standing behind it with their might. The Martians were all grouped into a gargantuan Martian that snarled menacingly at the opposing troops. The fans of both _Space Adventure _and _Stumbleberry Finkbat_ readied their weapons. Buck Buckerson and his friends all revved up their monster trucks' engines. Thaddeus, Thor, and their friends, all armed with Thaddeus and Thor's inventions, had their arms crossed as they stared daggers at their enemies. And last but not least, all of the Resistance were in stylized fighting poses, while Doofenshmirtz-2 was manning his personal robot.

Ferb announced, "There's no way this world, this galaxy, and the multiverse will fall before you! We WILL NOT let you succeed! FREEDOM FIGHTERS, **ATTACK**!"

Every Freedom Fighter issued a battle cry together and charged forward with all of their might.

Rodney gasped and looked at the troops. "RED TRIANGLE, **CHARGE**!"

Every Red Triangle soldier issued a battle cry together and charged forward towards their opponents.

Both armies ran miles within minutes, and the earth trembled. This powerful shaking extended for miles, and everyone in the Tri-State Area could practically feel it. The two armies closed in on each other and...

The collision was powerful, and it sent out a shockwave that knocked everything back. A flock of birds, a group of incoming news helicopters, debris that was in a ten-block radius. And the battle, the _war_ for the world, for the galaxy, for the multiverse, for all of summer, had begun.

The treehouse robot ridden by Candace, Linda, and Lawrence was thrown back by a Red Triangle Treehouse Robot, but the wooden robot retaliated with a couple of punches to its opponent. Meap yelled out in triumph as their jet flew by their Red Triangle doppelganger, having riddled it with bullets seconds earlier, but the opposing jet was still functioning and it followed the alien, firing its own guns as it did. The Destruct-Inator belonging to the Freedom Fighters began destroying numerous Red Triangle Robots. Doofenshmirtz-2's Goozims immediately began overwhelming the 1st Dimension's Goozims, proving the creature's superior strength in the 2nd Dimension. The future selves of Jeremy, Stacy, and Coltrane engaged several O.W.C.A. agents, led by Kenneth the Kitty, in battle. Poofenplotz's vehicle began dueling with a futuristic version of it, manned by one of Emperor Phineas's followers. Stacy-2 and Jenny-2 worked together to defeat a squad of Red Triangle Robots, Doof Clones, and enslaved monkeys that tried to apprehend them before high-fiving. Thaddeus, Thor, and Mandy used the former two's inventions to bring down numerous Red Triangle troops, and were able to defeat hundreds within a span of five minutes. Isabella, riding the modified kiddie-ride unicorn, distracted an Aerial-Class Robot, giving Future Isabella the chance to run up a Red Triangle Treehouse Robot to reach the mechanical soldier and decapitate it with a double-bladed sword. Agent Double 0-0 sped past numerous Red Triangle Robots, shooting them down with a pistol. And every Freedom Fighter used the Turn-Everything-Good-Inators to turn O.W.C.A. agents and children alike back into their normal state.

Rodney watched fearfully as the Red Triangle began falling before the Freedom Fighters and was about to take out his walkie-talkie when it exploded.

"What the?"

Doofenshmirtz appeared, holding a remote, and asked his arch-rival, "So Rodney, d'you like my Destroy-Walkie-Talkies-Inator?"

"STOP CALLING ME RODNEY! IT'S ALOYSE EVERHEART ELIZA-OOF!"

Doofenshmirtz had punched Rodney in the face, and the evil villain tumbled off the Very-Very-Bad-Inator. Angered, Rodney wiped the blood flecked on his mouth before facing his opponent.

"Looks like this is round two of our fight, Doofenshmirtz!" he snarled.

"Bring it on, Rodney!"

**"IT'S ALOYSE E-"**

"I've had enough of your full name, Rodney! There's a disadvantage in having to say it, ya know!"

"You _dare_ bad-mouth my rightful name, Doofenshmirtz?"

"Yes, I dare!"

"YOU'RE GOING DOWN, DOOFENSHMIRTZ!"

Rodney lunged for Doofenshmirtz, but the scientist jumped out of the way and Rodney instead slammed his face against the keyboard of the Very-Very-Bad-Inator. Doofenshmirtz chuckled, but that turned into a gasp as his opponent took out a stun gun and began firing. Doofenshmirtz dodged every laser and threw a large pebble at Rodney's head, hitting him with full accuracy and causing the villain to drop his weapon. Doofenshmirtz lunged for it, as did Rodney, and the two grabbed the firearm at the same time before beginning to struggle for dominant control over it. Finally, the stun gun accidentally slipped out of their hands and into the air, and Doofenshmirtz kicked Rodney in the stomach, then reached out for the gun as it fell towards his hand.

However, Rodney seized the chance to punch Doofenshmirtz in the face and grab the stun gun. He then aimed it at his opponent and shot him thrice, incapacitating him. Chuckling maliciously, Rodney put the stun gun back into the pocket of his lab coat and then procured the ray gun guaranteed to kill its victims with one laser, the contraption Phineas called the Death Ray. Unlocking the gun's safety, Rodney laughed briefly as he aimed the futuristic weapon at Doofenshmirtz's, whose eyes widened in shock as he struggled to crawl away.

"Goodbye, Doofenshmirtz," Rodney said as he prepared to pull the trigger.

Suddenly, Vanessa ran into the fray and shoved Rodney to the ground, grabbing both the Death Ray and the stun gun, the latter of which Vanessa use to incapacitate Rodney with two shots. Charlene also arrived and helped her ex-husband up onto his feet, and Vanessa approached her father.

"Dad, are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," replied Doofenshmirtz. He then smiled proudly. "Hey, you saved me!"

Vanessa smiled back. "Anything for my dad."

"Aw, that's just the _sweetest_ thing," said a recuperated Rodney as he manned the Very-Very-Bad-Inator. "Too bad I'm gonna have to ruin it for you!"

The Doofenshmirtzes gasped as Rodney pressed the button and the Very-Very-Bad-Inator fired a laser at them. Unfortunately for Rodney, the Inator recoiled upon firing and instead sent a laser into the forest.

"WHAT IN THE WORLD?" cried Rodney. "HOW THE HECK COULD I HAVE _MISSED_?"

"Welcome to my world, Rodney!" Doofenshmirtz replied as he stabbed his own Inator with what appeared to be a large nail. However, the nail's head turned out to be a self-destruct button, which Doofenshmirtz quickly pressed.

"IT'S ALOYSE EVERHEA-AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!"

Rodney was thrown backward as the Very-Very-Bad-Inator exploded, and the evil scientist collided with the leg of Candace's Treehouse Robot, rendering him unconscious and badly injured. The Doofenshmirtz family all let out cheers of joy, and Doofenshmirtz noted, "Yep, my Self-Destruct-Inator works!"

"I'm so sorry, Doofenshmirtz," a voice said, "but your luck has run out for you and your wretched family!"

Sharpeard had appeared, riding on the shoulder of a large, red robot created by his Turn-Automobiles-Into-Evil-Robots-Inator. The scientist smirked at the three Doofenshmirtzes as he motioned his robot to attack them.

"Now, SAY GOODBYE!" Sharpeard roared.

"NO, _YOU_ SAY GOODBYE!"

Doofenshmirtz-2 was commandeering his robot at it ran towards Sharpeard's. Before Sharpeard's robot can stop its opponent, it was already knocked down by a spring-loaded punch. Doofenshmirtz-2 then seized the chance to attack his enemy while it was down, controlling his robot to kick Sharpeard's repeatedly. However, Sharpeard was able to get his robot to grab a fallen tree, which it swung at the face of the Doofenshmirtz-2 robot, knocking it down. Hitting the robot again with the tree, Sharpeard then had his robot grab its opponent's head and prepared to deliver the final blow when...

_ **"Stay away from our master or be destroyed!"** _

A squad of Norm Bots began swarming around Sharpeard's robot, and it released Doofenshmirtz-2's robot to swat away at the smaller robots. The Norm Bots retaliated by firing their lasers at Sharpeard's robot's head repeatedly until it fell off, deactivating the robot and causing it to collapse, with Sharpeard screaming wildly. The Norm Bots then helped their creator out of his robot, and the Doofenshmirtzes ran up to him.

"You all right, me?" asked Doofenshmirtz.

"Just fine," replied Doofenshmirtz-2. Charlene stepped forward and hugged her ex-husband's doppelganger.

"Thanks for saving us, uh, Heinz," she said.

"Oh, you're welcome."

The two parted and Charlene examined Doofenshmirtz-2.

"You know," she said, smiling devilishly, "that eyepatch of yours, with the scar running across it, makes you look _handsome_..."

Doofenshmirtz-2 giggled nervously, while Doofenshmirtz, beginning to seethe with jealousy, beckoned to his ex-wife.

"That's nice, Charlene," Doofenshmirtz said with a near-growl that Vanessa noticed, making her giggle, "but we have to move."

"Oh, no you don't!"

Sharpeard had crawled out of the wreckage of his robot and aimed his Death Ray gun at the four when a Norm Bot shot a laser that obliterated the firearm, causing the villain to scream. Two more Norm Bots hovered towards Sharpeard, seized him, and lightly slammed his against the wreckage, while a third Norm Bot began tying him to the debris. Finished, the three Norm Bots joined the rest of their kind as they escorted the four Doofenshmirtzes away from the scene.

"HEY!" Sharpeard screamed. "DON'T LEAVE ME! COME BACK HERE, I TELL YA! _COME BACK HERE_!"

* * *

Ferb and Perry watched from their Rover as a jet circled around the sky, doing nothing. Judging from its red color and the fact that it was the essential shape of Phineas's face, the British boy and the platypus agent knew it held his stepbrother. He turned to Candace's Treehouse Robot, Isabella, and Future Isabella.

"Guys!" he called. "See that red triangular jet?"

The robot gave him a thumbs-up to signal that Candace, Linda, and Lawrence were indeed seeing it. Isabella and Future Isabella nodded.

"Then let's get to Phineas!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Django cheered with joy as he commandeered the robotic shark to swallow numerous Red Triangle Robots. He looked at the others who were accompanying him inside the fearsome invention: his parents and the Sweetwater family.

"Did you see that?" he asked.

"Yeah!" replied Beppo. "That was awesome, son!"

"Shark incoming!" Mr. Sweetwater cried, pointing out

"What do you mean?" asked Beppo. "We're already in a shark!"

"No, I mean THAT shark!"

The Red Triangle's robotic shark was levitating towards their robotic shark, also being lifted by a helicopter drone. Inside, Sid was cackling with sadism as he prepared to attack the opposing shark.

"HAHAHA! I'm gonna make you _pay_ for what you did to my hand, boy!" roared Sid, flexing his robotic hand as he closed in on Django's shark.

"Steer us away, Django!" Adyson cried.

"I'm trying!" Django replied as he tried steering his shark away from Sid's, but it was too slow. Cackling, Sid controlled the shark to sever the rope levitating Django's shark up in the air, and the machine fell to the street below. Fortunately, the shark fell only a few feet and the passengers weren't injured.

"HA!" exclaimed Sid. "Now, time for the GRAND FINALE!"

Missile launchers flipped themselves out from his shark's underside, and Django saw this through the shark's eye.

"We've got to go!" he screamed.

Mrs. Brown opened a hatch and the Brown and Sweetwater families immediately climbed out of the shark, just as Sid, still cackling, fired several missiles. The missiles hit the machine and it exploded, sending a shock wave that threw both families back and they all tumbled farther down the asphalt street. Sid noticed this and switched the helicopter lifting his shark into autopilot before opening his own hatch. Procuring rope, the bomber tied it to a pipe and slid down to the ground. Letting go of the rope, Sid landed smoothly on the concrete sidewalk and stalked towards Django, who was struggling to recuperate from being thrown back and get up. Snickering, Sid grabbed Django's hair with his hand, the one that still had flesh, and held him up into the air, cackling as the boy screamed from the pain of being lifted by the hairs.

"YES!" snarled Sid. "_Now_ you feel the pain I felt when you cut off my hand with my own switchblade. My own switchblade! And yet, that's not how I'll find closure to my revenge against you."

Sid's robotic hand transformed into a shiny blade. Django's eyes widened, and Sid's tooth-bared grin became more pronounced. Little did he notice Adyson sneaking towards him, a discarded baseball bat in her hand.

"THIS is how I'm gonna get closure! I'll torture you, and I'll make sure that it's slow and painful, so that you'll receive maximum suffering. And once I'm bored with you and I've had my fun and I make the decision to finish you off for good, you'll be _begging_ me to end it all! Quite understandable for you to make such a command, since you inadvertently helped ensure the Red Triangle's victory, anyway! You'd want to make this world safe from anymore of your idiotic wrongdoings."

Django growled and began struggling angrily, but his movements were limited by the pain assaulting his scalp as his hairs seemed to rip under Sid's grasp. Sid emitted a short laugh before preparing to strike.

"Do worry, Django," he said. "This is gonna _hurt_ on so many levels..."

Adyson took this time to swing the baseball bat across Sid's leg. The bomber's scream pierced the air as Django collapsed to the ground. The Fireside Girl grabbed her friend and half-dragged him away from Sid, who recovered from the blow and transformed his hand from a blade into a grappling claw.

"COME BACK HERE, BOY!" he called as he fired the claw towards Django. However, it grabbed Adyson instead and she was abruptly dragged backward towards Sid; she released her grip from Django as a result.

"ADYSON!" Django cried.

"DJANGO!" screamed Adyson as Sid grabbed her and his robotic hand reverted back into a shotgun barrel, which he pressed against the girl's temple.

"Whoo-hoo!" Sid said. "I think I know a better torture that I can give you! Psychological torture! And I'll start by killing your girl!"

Django instinctively procured a gadget Thaddeus had given him, a flashlight that fires a ray of the brightest light known to man: up-close sunlight.

"ADYSON!" he called. "CLOSE YOUR EYES!"

Adyson nodded and immediately shut her eyes. Sid glanced at Django's flashlight and cackled.

"OH, YOU HAVE _GOT_ TO BE KIDDING ME-" he taunted, but Django activated the flashlight, assaulting his sights with the ray of light for a split-second. "AAARRRGGGHHH! MY EYES! MY PRECIOUS _EYES_!"

Adyson seized the chance to escape Sid and ran to her parents, who had recovered and stood up. Meanwhile, Django watched as Sid stumbled around, blinded by the light that was fired at him.

"I CAN'T SEE!" screeched Sid. "I CAN'T _SEE_! I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE HECK I'M GOING! AAAGGGHHH! STINKIN' CONTRAPTION, WHATEVER THAT WAS! OH DJANGO, YOU YOUNG SCUM! I'LL **MURDER** YOU! GAH! I WILL _FIND_ YOU, AND I WILL MAKE YOU _SUFFER_! I'LL START BY KILLING YOUR GIRL, AND THEN YOUR PARENTS! NEXT, I'LL _TORTURE_ YOU, SLOWLY AND _PAINFULLY_! AND THEN, I'M GONNA OPEN UP THAT THROAT OF YOURS! OH, I'LL DO ALL OF THOSE THINGS! ONCE I FIND YOU, THAT IS! OOF!"

Sid had bumped into the wreckage of Django's robotic shark and fallen to the ground.

"Come on, Django!" called Beppo. "We have to go!"

"No!" Django replied. "We have to stop this madness!"

"How?" asked Adyson. Django looked at her.

"We go to DEI."

"_What_?" exclaimed Mr. Sweetwater. "Isn't that where Phineas is?"

"Yes." Django took out the Turn-Everything-Good-Inator Doofenshmirtz supplied him. "That's where we will turn him back to normal!"

"You can't go there, Django!" protested Mrs. Brown. "It's dangerous!"

Adyson walked to Django's side, and her parents' eyes widened. "Nothing's dangerous as long as one has company," she said. "Besides, we have people on the inside, remember? Those scientists?"

"No, Adyson," Mrs. Sweetwater said. "We're not letting you, or Django, go to that place, no matter if there's help waiting there!"

"Every time any of us tries to go there," protested Django, "they are stopped by the Red Triangle! The enemy isn't taking any notice to us, so I suggest we seize the chance to go there!"

"But we don't approve," Mr. Sweetwater replied. "You're not going in there unless an adult voices his approval."

"I approve." Beppo stepped beside his son, and Mrs. Brown looked at him in shock.

"Honey-" she began, but Beppo cut her off.

"I'll protect these two. You and the Sweetwaters go hide, but these two know what to do. If we want to stop this, I suggest that we listen to our children if they know a solution. And they do. Go on and disapprove my actions if you all want, but my son and his friend are going to DEI with me behind them, watching their backs."

Mrs. Brown replied, "But you? You're the only adult accompanying them, while the rest of us don't want to do it! Who else is gonna come with you to protect the kids?"

"We will."

Doofenshmirtz, Vanessa, Charlene, Doofenshmirtz-2, Baljeet-2, Norm, and a Norm Bot were all walking towards them. Doofenshmirtz and Doofenshmirtz-2 were riding the latter's tandem bike, which was now outfitted with a machine gun. Norm was in his truck mode, numerous artillery practically encasing the exterior. Vanessa, Charlene, and Baljeet-2 were all armed with Turn-Everything-Good-Inators and stun guns.

"We'll protect those two," said Doofenshmirtz-2 to Mrs. Brown. "You have our word."

"I don't know-" the woman began, but the Norm Bot spoke up.

_ **"Obey my master or be destroyed."** _

"I think you should probably listen to my counterpart," noted Norm.

Mrs. Brown immediately replied to Beppo, "Be careful, honey. And promise me our little boy will be okay."

"I promise," Beppo said.

The Sweetwater couple looked at each other reluctantly before looking at Adyson. Finally, both knelt down and hugged their only daughter.

"Be careful, Adyson," said Mrs. Sweetwater. "Do whatever Mr. Brown says and stay with him and Django at all times."

"I will, Mom," Adyson replied. She parted with her parents and looked at her father, who looked back at her sadly.

"Who would've known this day would come?" he said, more to himself than to his wife and daughter. "My little girl is walking across a battlefield, in the middle of a disastrous crossfire, and we just have to watch as the chances of her getting shot down increase by the second."

"Dad," Adyson said. "Just do what you told me to do at that office five years ago."

"Which is?"

Adyson smiled. "Believe in hope."

Django smiled, as did Mr. Sweetwater.

"Wow. Never thought you actually remember that. You were so young..." Mr. Sweetwater's eyes began to well with tears. "...so fragile...so innocent..."

"Just keep believing."

Adyson kissed her father in the cheek before joining Django, Beppo, Vanessa, Charlene, and Baljeet-2 inside Norm, and the robot sped off, followed by the two Doofenshmirtzes on their tandem bike as well as the Norm Bot. as they walked away towards DEI, Mrs. Brown and Mr. and Mrs. Sweetwater watching sadly.

Inside Norm, Adyson looked at Django and smiled at him.

"Django?" she asked. Django looked at her.

"Yeah, Adyson?"

"Thanks for saving me, back there."

Django's smile was more pronounced.

"No problem."

Little did anyone notice the motorcyclist following them.

* * *

With his sights recovering, Sid watched angrily as Norm, the tandem bike, and the Norm Bot all sped off towards the DEI building, followed by the motorcyclist. If they reached it, the bomber knew, then defeat was imminent, for the portal that helped produce most of their troops was there. The motorcyclist following them was not enough might to stop the group from accomplishing their mission. Growling, he took out his walkie-talkie, pressed a button, and spoke into it.

"Bulkare, it's Sid. You've got company heading your way."

"I see them," Bulkare's voice replied from the other end. "I'm dispatching the Doof Cyborg and the Morn Duo to guard DEI."

"Good," said Sid as he put his walkie-talkie back into his pocket. He then wondered what to do next to get his revenge against Django when he spotted Mrs. Brown and the Sweetwaters, still watching their loved ones as they traveled to DEI, and the former bomber smiled. He now knew _exactly_ what to do. Sid chuckled with pleasure as his robotic hand transformed into a machine gun with a bayonet.

* * *

Above in the sky, Phineas and Emperor Phineas watched from the latter's personal jet as the Red Triangle continued to fight the Freedom Fighters, identical anger masking their faces.

"No!" Emperor Phineas growled. "We must NOT be defeated!"

"Call in more of your troops!" ordered Phineas.

Emperor Phineas nodded and was about to procure his walkie-talkie when the jet shook seven times. Standing there was the Flynn-Fletcher family, Perry, and both Isabellas, all armed with Turn-Everything-Good-Inators. Growling, Phineas motioned the Doof Clone controlling the jet to begin revolving as it traveled, and the clone obeyed. The jet began spinning as its engines thrust it forward, and Candace, Linda, and Lawrence were soon thrown off; fortunately, they had parachutes, which they activated.

Future Isabella managed to break through the glass protecting the cockpit as the jet still spun; she grabbed Emperor Phineas as she accidentally released her grip on the jet and the two fell out of the jet. The young woman activated her jetpack and grabbed the emperor to rescue him as she flew off, but he began retaliating and the two were soon fighting in midair as Future Isabella struggled to aim Doofenshmirtz's Inator at her friend and crush.

Meanwhile, Ferb, Perry, and Isabella struggled to get through the hole Future Isabella made and reach Phineas. However, the Doof Clone pilot took out a Death Ray gun and began shooting at them; Isabella dodged a laser but accidentally released her grip on the jet in the process, and Ferb and Perry watched with horror as she tumbled off the jet and began plummeting to the city below. They both sighed with relief when a parachute unfolded itself.

The Doof Clone seized the chance to fire another laser at Ferb, but Perry tackled his owner out of the way before procuring a container of Doofenshmirtz's Eulg and poured it all over the glass encasing the cockpit, causing it to disintegrate and expose the cockpit. Having run out of Eulg, Perry then took out a rope and threw it around the Doof Clone, like a cowboy capturing a bull, and threw the clone from the jet. Without a pilot, the jet fell along with the clone until Phineas angrily activated the jet's autopilot mode. Meanwhile, the Doof Clone realized it had a parachute and activated it.

Ferb and Perry fought against the rushing winds as they boarded the cockpit. Phineas growled and took out his stun gun, firing several lasers at the duo, all of which were dodged. Screaming with fury, Phineas threw his weapon at Perry and actually hit him in the head. Ferb gasped as his pet platypus tumbled out of the jet, and his shock intensified when no parachute with an Agent P logo was activated.

_"Perry must've been rendered unconscious when that gun hit his head,"_ Ferb concluded in his mind as he continued to watch with escalating fear for another parachute, and yet, there was none. Suddenly, a fist collided with his cheek, and pain assaulted it. Struggling not to cry, Ferb watched as his stepbrother stood over him, anger in his green eyes.

"I'm gonna teach you to meddle with my business, Fletcher!" yelled Phineas over the winds as he grabbed Ferb's shirt collar and then punched him in the face again.

Dizziness flowed into Ferb's head, and his sight became blurry. However, despite the blurriness, he concluded Phineas approaching him and preparing to pick him up again to attack him. Using what little strength he had left, Ferb reluctantly landed a kick on his stepbrother's leg, and watched with recovering vision as Phineas fell on top of the jet's autopilot button, disabling the mechanism. The jet immediately began a full nosedive, and nausea crept into Ferb's stomach as the boy struggled to hold onto a seat, while Phineas held onto the steering wheel.

Ferb managed to look up and saw a rollercoaster track before he was suddenly thrown about, with numerous crashing sounds assaulted his ears, and then everything went as black as night.

* * *

Phineas-2 and Ferb-2 watched with horror as the jet they knew was containing their other-dimension selves disappeared below the building levels.

"Ferb!" cried Phineas. "Let's go see if they're okay!"

Ferb nodded and beckoned Platyborg to come with them. Unfortunately, none of them didn't notice Roderick and Byron as the two Tri-State Bombers silently follow them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did...Did I just write an "Avengers: Endgame"-esque battle...BEFORE IT WAS COOL?!
> 
> Seriously, though, I am ASTOUNDED by the level of epicness my teenage self was able to pull off then. So much battling, so much time for everyone to shine, so much...FRIGGING EVERYTHING! Like, holy flipping crud! When I first reread this sequence in my files, I was instantly blown away by how "Endgame"-like it was. The only thing that's missing is the epic "Avengers" theme that begins the final, climactic battle. Man, I wish I still had that kind of creative spunk in me. I really could use it right now.
> 
> And like I said earlier...this is just the beginning!
> 
> Also, this is officially the longest chapter the fic has to offer so far, for both the original version and the re-posted version as of now. I remember writing so much of this chapter that I realized I wouldn't stop, so I had to wrap it up as quickly as possible. Thus, we've got this cliffhanger of an ending, which I feel was sort of abrupt, but I digress.
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this epic chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	21. A Big Storm, Part 2 of 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the ultimate showdown between the Flynn-Fletcher stepbrothers! Who will win? Meanwhile, other battles continue on elsewhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

Ferb had never felt so dizzy in his whole life. Crawling out of the wreckage of Phineas's private jet, the British boy immediately threw up all over the asphalt street and then stared with blurry vision at his contents before falling over on his back. The sun was bathing him with its warm rays of light, but Ferb noticed the gray bank of storm clouds rolling in, about to engulf the bright star like ink flowing over a precious painting. Attempting to stand up, Ferb was only on his two feet for a couple of seconds before he fell back onto the street uncomfortably, the asphalt's slightly jagged edges scraping the skin of his chin. Groaning, Ferb then spotted the Turn-Everything-Good-Inator Doofenshmirtz gave him and began crawling towards the invention with much strain.

Finally, after five painful minutes, the green-haired boy placed his hand over the gun-like device. Taking it to him, Ferb then looked at the wreckage, his sights improving in quality. He felt his dizziness slowly fade away, and once he regained enough strength, Ferb stood up without any difficulty. The first thing he noticed was the trail of blood smeared against the asphalt. It was his blood, coming from the injuries he sustained from the crash-landing. Looking away from the recoiling sight, Ferb made his way toward the wreckage, hoping to find an unconscious Phineas. While exploring the wreckage for any sign of his stepbrother, Ferb noticed that the jet had landed near a rollercoaster track that snaked its way through downtown Danville. It was a recreation of the rollercoaster track he and Phineas built, and Ferb remembered the tracks he sighted briefly before the crash.

Suddenly, he felt a pair of hands grab his shoulders and hold onto them tightly like a crab's claws, and then, Ferb was thrown into the air and he slammed painfully on one of the rollercoaster track's support beams. Landing on the ground, the boy looked up, trying to hold back tears, and watched as Phineas closed in on him, wearing a modified Beak suit. Phineas's eyes were burning with rage, and yet, there was a smile of sadistic pleasure on his face.

"I've had about enough with you, Fletcher!" Phineas said. "It's time I got rid of you for good!"

Ferb rolled out of the way with difficulty as Phineas punched the ground the British boy was standing on a few seconds ago. Shielding his face from the small fragments of asphalt that rained on him, Ferb then stood up and fired his Turn-Everything-Good-Inator, but the Beak suit's armor reflected the lasers and they were sent flying about in different directions. Gulping, Ferb put the invention into his pocket and took out the power gloves Thaddeus and Thor gave him. Wearing them and activating their energy cores, Ferb charged forward and punched Phineas's legs; the armor creaked as it was bent by the gloves' power. Phineas fell over with a scream, and Ferb took advantage of his stepbrother's position to jump onto the chest of the suit and rip out the power core hidden inside. However, Phineas recuperated quickly and grabbed Ferb, throwing him aside with a yell of anger.

The clouds slowly engulfed the sun, immersing Danville in slight darkness, and thunder echoed through the city. Phineas looked up at the gray weather sky and chuckled before stalking towards Ferb, cracking his armored knuckles while doing so.

"I'm gonna _enjoy_ pummeling you to a pulp!" snarled Phineas as he took another punch at Ferb, but the boy dodged it and responded with a punch on the suit's shoulder that stripped it of a piece of external armor, exposing the wiring underneath. Ferb smiled, grabbed as much exposed wires as he could, and ripped them out with all of his might. The suit's right arm went limp; Phineas growled angrily.

"You laconic idiot!" he roared. "You're gonna pay for that! I mean that literally as well as figuratively!"

"I'm not laconic," replied Ferb boldly, "I just speak when it suits me."

"Well, let's see if you'll suit THIS!"

Using the functioning arm, Phineas grabbed Ferb, held him in his hand, and began squeezing the boy with all of his might. Crying out in pain, Ferb used the last of his strength to take out a gun version of Doofenshmirtz's very first Inator (humorously called Inator) and fired a laser at the Beak suit's chest, right at the portion that contained the power core. The suit's chest gave out a small explosion, sending Phineas back, and he dropped Ferb to the street as a result. Ferb then watched as the Beak suit fell to the sidewalk, crushing a parked sedan. Approaching the smoking suit, the boy watched as his stepbrother angrily crawled out of the wreckage, holding his kitchen knife, still stained with the blood of all of its victims. Another rumble of thunder echoed through the street, but Ferb didn't bother to hear it out, and neither did Phineas. The two Flynn-Fletcher stepbrothers just stared at each other, Ferb softly, Phineas with the most rage he has ever expressed, a pinkish-red flooding his face.

"Phineas," Ferb said, "I know you're somewhere in there. If you can see me, or hear me at the least, you can fight the evil. Come on, Phineas. Fight it."

"Phineas is in a weak state," replied Phineas. "He can't fight me. No one can. Not even you. Sure, you've downed my Beak suit, but I still have a vast amount of other weapons. Just surrender, Fletcher, and I recommend you'd take my offer sincerely, for this will be the last time I will have to tell anyone this before I finally go over the edge."

"I will _never_ surrender. I will _not_ stop until my brother is brought back."

"Then you've just spelled your doom. YARGH!"

Phineas threw the kitchen knife at Ferb, but he dodged it and fired several more lasers from his Inator, but the redhead dodged those and took out several of what appeared to be marbles, which he threw. The marbles exploded upon contact with the ground and clouds of red smoke began hissing out of them, preventing Ferb from seeing what was in front of him. Ferb stopped to swat away the smoke, which proved to be a mistake as Phineas made a furious dash towards him and kicked him in the stomach; nausea crept up Ferb's stomach again and he threw up for the second time.

"How _disgusting_," noted Phineas as he retrieved his kitchen knife and approached the fallen Ferb, kicking him over and kneeling over him. He smiled as he raised his bloodstained weapon; Ferb saw his frightened reflection glinting back at him through the silver-and-red metal.

* * *

Still watching from the cage that imprisoned him in the Shadow's reality, the real Phineas watched in horror as Ferb's frightened eyes stared on through the projection in the purple mist. He gasped when he saw the reflection of the Shadow's weapon in Ferb's watering eyes.

"**FERB!**" Phineas screamed.

* * *

Ferb's hand finally found the Inator, and the boy fired a laser at Phineas, but fired too early and missed. Fortunately, Phineas flinched from the near-shooting and Ferb took advantage of his brother's vulnerability, shoving the inventor off of him and rolling away. Ferb then fired another laser, which hit Phineas's knife and split it in half.

Throwing down the handle in anger, Phineas briefly roared out inhumanely and began sprinting towards the rollercoaster track, where Ferb noticed a rollercoaster cart waiting. Realizing that Phineas was trying to escape, Ferb pursued his brother, firing several lasers at him, but Phineas dodged them expertly before grabbing onto one of the track's support beams, which he started scaling up. Ferb followed suit and had to put the Inator back, for the climbing process required both of his hands. Using the wood that held the support beams together as supports, both Phineas and Ferb were able to reach the top of the track when the latter managed to tackle his stepbrother to the fragile wooden boards that was their current surface.

"You just can't stop your meddling, can't you?" Phineas snarled before he punched Ferb in the face. He then stood up and jumped onto the rollercoaster cart. Turning on the modified cart, Phineas thrust it forward towards Ferb with the intention of running him over, but the British boy made a jump, avoiding being hit and he tumbled onto one of the farther rollercoaster carts. Phineas noticed all of it.

"Darn it!" Phineas angrily took out his Death Ray gun and began firing away as the rollercoaster rolled through all of downtown Danville. However, Ferb dodged every laser and jumped from one cart to the next as he made his way to his brother.

Growling, Phineas threw the gun at Ferb, hoping to him like he did with Perry, but Ferb dodged the device, and before Phineas can rage on for wasting his weapon, the British boy made it to the front cart.

"WHY IS IT SO HARD FOR ME TO GET RID OF YOU?" screeched Phineas as the rollercoaster began slowing down, for it was reaching the lift hill.

"Phineas!" Ferb cried. "You can fight it! I know you can! You're strong!"

"If he's so strong," replied Phineas, as the rollercoaster began climbing the high lift hill, "then why are we here? Huh? I could've been defeated days ago; none of this would've happened! But we're here, facing off on your greatest achievement, the very invention that introduced the entire world to Phineas and Ferb! And why didn't Phineas stop me? I'll tell you why! I gave him a world that he wanted to live in!"

"Huh? What're you talking about?"

"My psyche created a world for him, a world that has everything he wants!"

"My brother has everything he wants right here!"

"True. But there's one thing that he doesn't have here, and it's the only thing that distinguishes the world I gave him from this one."

"What's that?"

Phineas cackled. "My, Fletcher, you are as ignorant as your brother! In the world I gave him, Phillip's still alive! He never died in that bombing; instead, he divorced his mother and you and your worthless father still become a part of his family, and his life. But Phillip visits him daily, continuing to give him the life he's always wanted! You should see your brother in that world, Fletcher. He's never been happier! And if he is to fight back, then that means he'll lose that world, for my psyche maintains its existence! He'll lose Phillip again! D'you think he'll really want that?"

Ferb opened his mouth to respond, but he closed it as the rollercoaster wheeled closer and closer to the lift hill's climax. Phineas had been emotionally scarred ever since his father died in that fateful bombing, and the British boy knew that it was the inventor's best wishes to see Phillip alive and well again. And now that this new Phineas mentioned this world to him, Ferb realized that his enemy might be right: Phineas would do anything, absolutely _anything_, to ensure his father's continued existence. But it was all so surreal to Ferb; he couldn't believe that Phineas would choose the new life created for him over the one he left behind.

"No," whispered Ferb. "It's not true. Phineas would _never_ hand over his old life to you."

"But he did, Fletcher, he did. Otherwise, you two would be going back to inventing and doing what you can possibly do in making summer count. And d'you wanna know what he told me the moment he surrendered his old life to me?"

Ferb didn't respond, and Phineas smiled as he replied anyway.

"He told me that he was GLAD to leave that life. It had been _so much torture_ living that one. He couldn't bear to live a life without his beloved father. He's always wished that his father were still alive, and now that I've given him a chance to live that life, he was so overjoyed! It only took him a split-second to surrender the life he once lived to me. And like I said, he was so glad to leave his family, his friends, his home, leave it all up for my grabs. He was glad to leave YOU."

Ferb snapped. He grabbed Phineas and stared into his green eyes, rage burning in his own.

"You're LYING," the green-haired boy replied. "Phineas would NEVER give up this life. Especially if he was trading lives with a monster like YOU."

"But he did, Fletcher," said Phineas. "And he was so happy doing it. It was like Christmas to him, a permanent Christmas. He even told me to do whatever I wanted with his life!"

The rollercoaster cart reached the lift hill's climax at last. There was another rumbling noise and droplets of rain started falling. Ferb bared his teeth angrily at Phineas.

"YOU'RE **LYING**!" Ferb screeched, and he raised his fist, preparing to punch Phineas.

"Gonna punch your brother, Ferb?" asked Phineas tauntingly. A bolt of lightning flashed, illuminating the two Flynn-Fletcher brothers for a second.

"No," Ferb snarled in reply. "I'm punching my ENEMY."

The moment Ferb's fist slammed painfully into Phineas's cheek, the rollercoaster cart began its abrupt descent down the lift hill, and the ride began.

* * *

Django, Adyson, Beppo, Vanessa, Charlene, and Baljeet-2 watched as the storm clouds rolled in and it began to rain, while Norm rode down the abandoned street in his truck mode with the tandem bike ridden by both Doofenshmirtzes and the Norm Bot in pursuit.

"This is gonna be one heck of a storm," said Beppo.

"Yeah," replied Charlene.

"So, Django," Adyson said, looking at Django, "what's the plan?"

"We get inside DEI and meet up with those four scientists that helped us," replied Django. "We then all go to the laboratory and destroy whatever's there. Something there is bound to be useful. If we find Phineas there, then at least one of us will zap him with his or her Turn-Everything-Good-Inator. With Phineas cured, he will make us something that will defeat the rest of the Red Triangle, and Danville's saved."

"Sounds like a simple plan," commented Baljeet-2.

"Sounds fun!" Norm said.

"It's gonna be difficult, everyone," Django said. "Everyone, stick together once we're there. We can't afford any separations and resultant captures."

Meanwhile, the Red Triangle motorcyclist following the group knew it was time to act as he rode through the never-ending torrent of rain. Pressing a button on his two-wheeled vehicle's dashboard, the rider deployed a grappling hook that sunk itself into Norm's trunk and latched itself onto the metal, startling the passengers inside. The motorcyclist then slowed down, and Norm also began to slow down.

"Ow," the robot said. "Mommy, I don't like flu shots!"

"That guy's slowing us down!" cried Beppo.

"I've got that taken care of!" Baljeet-2 replied, and he took out from his lab coat a small Swiss Army knife, flipping out the blade. The young doctorate then pressed a button on the handle, and electricity engulfed the blade; Baljeet-2 then leaned forward toward the rope connecting Norm to the motorcyclist and slashed at it once, cutting it in an instant. The motorcyclist swerved about as Norm was released from his tether, but regained his posture and continued speeding after the vehicle.

The Norm Bot fired several lasers at the motorcyclist, but Doofenshmirtz-2's robot missed as the man snaked through every laser fired before retaliating with machine guns mounted on the motorcycle's sides. Eventually hitting the Norm Bot in the shoulder, the motorcyclist watched as the robot flew off to the side to recuperate its sustained injury. Instead of seizing the chance to finish it off, he just maintained his focus on Norm. Django and the others watched as their pursuer deployed machine guns and began riddling their vehicle in a hail of bullets.

"I think I have the chickenpox, daddy," said Norm optimistically.

While pedaling the tandem bike, Doofenshmirtz watched with horror as a bullet broke through the window and nearly hit Vanessa.

"THAT'S IT!" the scientist roared.

Doofenshmirtz immediately pressed a button installed by his 2nd Dimension doppelganger, and a pair of missile launchers flipped themselves out from the bike's sides. Two triggers appeared on Doofenshmirtz's sides, and the scientist pressed on them tightly as he continued to help Doofenshmirtz-2 pedal the tandem bike. The weapons opened fire and the motorcyclist stared at a barrage of missiles heading his way. Pressing a button, the man was ejected from his vehicle, seconds before it was annihilated by the missiles. While spinning in midair, with the danger of tumbling onto the street painfully looming over him, the motorcyclist deployed another sphere that unfolded into another motorcycle, which he manned split-seconds before landing on the street and he resumed his pursuit. Everyone stared on in shock.

"Wow," commented Doofenshmirtz. "Now THAT'S hard-core."

"And you've just wasted all of those missiles, other-dimension me," Doofenshmirtz-2 said.

"LOOK OUT!" cried Adyson as the motorcyclist aimed an automatic shotgun at the tandem bike.

However, several lasers appeared and hit the motorcycle's engine, engulfing the vehicle and its rider in an enormous explosion whose sound traveled down the street for miles. Hovering beside Norm was the Norm Bot, the barrel of his weapon leaving a trail of smoke behind him.

"Whoo-hoo!" exclaimed Doofenshmirtz-2. "Way to go, Norm Bot!"

The Norm Bot's head switched from its battle-mode helmet to its regular head. "Does that mean I get a pay raise?" the robot asked optimistically.

"No."

"Aw, nuts." The Norm Bot's head then switched back into its helmet.

"INCOMING!" cried Beppo, pointing out of the window.

The group watched as the motorcyclist emerged from the smoking pile, wheels integrated in his boots, and the man began skating towards them at high speeds.

* * *

Instantly strapping anti-gravity boots onto his feet as the rain plastered his green hair to his forehead, Ferb braced himself as the rollercoaster cart swerved downward fully upon approaching the first portion of the pretzel loop. Unfortunately, Ferb found that Phineas had his own anti-gravity boots, preventing him from falling off the cart as it continued to speed down the track's sharp descent. The two brothers threw punches at each other, while the rollercoaster's descent became less steep by the second, and then, it began ascending, things becoming steeper. However, Ferb nor Phineas didn't care as the former landed a successful punch on his brother's cheek, to which he received a kick in the stomach in return. Knocked back to the second cart, Ferb saw that the cart was about to go upside-down as part of the pretzel loop and instinctively planted his feet on the cart's floor so he can defy gravity when the rollercoaster became completely upside-down. During all of that, the pattern of lightning flashing and thunder rumbling continued.

Almost immediately, being upside-down completely confused the British boy: Danville becoming the sky and the gray, cloudy sky becoming the ground below distorted Ferb's perception, and Phineas seized the chance to knock his opponent to the cart's seat and begin punching him repeatedly. Ferb yelled out in pain and agony as Phineas's fists continuously flew back and forth from his body, and his sight became blurry from the punches to his face, his mouth starting to ooze a trickle of blood. Ferb tried looking into Phineas's eyes for any sign of shocked guilt implanted in them, but saw nothing more than a furious burning green as his eardrums were attacked by his stepbrother's sadistic cackling.

His sight becoming blurrier from every punch, his face becoming coated with the plummeting rain droplets, Ferb made a last-ditch attempt to make Phineas stop and brought his hand to the left of his brother's ribcage. Remembering a happy childhood memory from five years ago as he did so, Ferb began tickling his brother on that spot, and Phineas's laughing turned from that of sadism to that of childish ridiculousness; Ferb smiled, knowing that Phineas's ticklish spot was there. His sights improved progressively as he continued to tickle his brother, as Phineas continued to laugh. Ferb then stood up, punched Phineas to incapacitate him, and realized that the cart had exited the pretzel loop minutes ago and everything was rightside-up.

"Agh," groaned Phineas. "I was about to kill you, Fletcher, and your secret weapon is a _tickle to the ribs_?"

"You don't know this," Ferb replied, "but I've learned from Doofenshmirtz that you have retained all of Phineas's physical characteristics, and after living with him for years, I know every physical weakness of yours. That tickling to the ribs came from a memory when I was five-"

"I don't have time to hear such idiotic stories!" cut off Phineas, but Ferb continued speaking, stepping into the next cart to avoid being attacked by his brother while the rollercoaster sped through an interlocking loop.

"-We were horsing around, and you got on top of me and you wouldn't get off. So I tickled you on that particular spot, and you were off of me within a second, laughing your head off. Our mom would later use this technique to get you to stop running around the supermarket."

"You mean _my_ mom," Phineas replied, but Ferb responded with a light punch to his right shoulder, just as the cart exited a diving loop. Phineas reeled in slight pain and was shocked when he found that the punch hurt him even though it was light. "What the-?"

"You were riding your scooter near a hill and you slipped and tumbled down the hill, two years ago. You sustained a lot of injuries, and you needed some minor surgery. That shoulder injury was long-lasting, and though it is long gone, a light punch can send the pain kicking into some gear again."

"Is that even possible?"

Ferb ignored Phineas and instead took out a flashlight given to him by Thor, turned it on, and shone it in his brother's face for a second; Phineas flinched, his sights becoming blurry, and he screamed in agony. Simultaneously, the rollercoaster entered a cobra roll as another bolt of lightning flashed through the sky.

"We played doctor when we were six," said Ferb, "and I shone a flashlight in your eyes, not knowing that they are greatly sensitive to light up-close. "It's a good thing we didn't need any tools that required the usage of bright light."

Phineas angrily stepped into the cart Ferb was in and threw a clumsy punch, only to miss expectedly, just as the cart exited the cobra roll and entered a top hat. Growling in anger, Phineas tried to throw another punch, but Ferb tickled him in the ribs again before slipping into the front cart. His sights still blurry, from both Ferb's flashlight and the falling rain, Phineas followed, occasionally stumbling. Ferb took out the flashlight and shone it on Phineas's eyes again for another second, causing him to sit back on the cart's seats and roar out in more agony. Ferb seized the chance to take out a dry mango slice and put it in his brother's mouth, to which Phineas immediately spat out, while the cart sped through a horseshoe.

"And you accidentally ate a mango slice last year, and you were allergic to mangoes."

"**What**?"

Phineas cleared his throat, realizing that his voice was raspy, his throat feeling clogged, and he looked at his skin. He was developing rashes all over, and the inventor began scratching away at them desperately, angrily tearing away at the skin to relieve the itching sensation. Taking advantage of Phineas's vulnerable state, Ferb punched his brother across the face twice and then threw him into the next cart roughly as he continued to scratch his skin furiously.

"GAH! So..._itchy_..." Phineas growled as he stood up, only to receive another punch from Ferb. The ten-year-old landed on the cart seat; Ferb stepped into the cart and closed in on Phineas's face, looking at his green eyes. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled again.

"Remember all of those memories, Phineas?" the green-haired boy asked. "All of those good memories? You're leaving all of that behind, Phineas. If you can hear me, Phineas, you're leaving those memories behind. And you don't want that, do you?"

* * *

Phineas, the real Phineas, watched the projection as Ferb spoke through it. Clutching the bars of his cage, the inventor looked at the ground, realizing that Ferb was right. The world the Shadow gave him was perfect, but there was one thing it didn't have, not unlike the original reality: all of those great memories. Sure, there was knowledge of the inventions he made with Ferb, but that wasn't enough. There was never all of those loving childhood memories that told the childish misadventures he had with Ferb, days that preceded the day that made his name known on a worldwide scale. And the world, the one with Phillip, didn't have that because the Shadow never bothered to consider **those** memories when he created it.

And with that, Phineas knew where he truly belonged.

Pulling at the bars, Phineas screamed into the nothingness, **"LET ME OUT, SHADOW! I WANNA GO HOME!"**

* * *

Platyborg marched alongside his owners Phineas-2 and Ferb-2 as they walked through the wreckage of Red Triangle vehicles that were destroyed by the Freedom Fighters. The cyborg was sheltering himself and his owners from the intense rain with an umbrella that extended out of one of his robotic arms. Looking at Phineas-2, Platyborg wondered what his American-born owner was thinking.

Inside Phineas-2's mind, he was wondering what his older sister was doing, and how she'll react when she sees him and his brother walking through the aftermath of the disastrous war. Ignoring sparks that flew out of a fallen Red Triangle Robot, Phineas-2 began reminiscing of the hours before the rest of the Resistance left for the 1st Dimension...

_"We wanna help, Candace!" Phineas-2 cried in protest._

_Candace shook her head as Baljeet-2 and Buford-2 packed up their gear and followed Gretchen-2 and a pair of Norm Bots into the portal opened by the Other-Dimension-Inator. The Resistance was preparing itself for the impending battle against the other-dimension doppelganger of their brilliant inventor, and they knew that as the 1st Dimension Phineas shared their Phineas's intellect and confidence, mixed with pure, sociopathic evil, the organization knew a big battle was underway. Phineas-2 and Ferb-2 were prepared to tag along, but Candace-2 told them to stay back._

_"No, I can't let you go, guys," replied Candace-2. "I know I let you two help out in resisting Rodney-"_

_"IT'S ALOYSE-"_

_"OH, CAN IT!" Candace-2 cleared her throat before continuing. "But to resist your other-dimension self, Phineas? If he's as evil as our doppelgangers say they are, then it's not worth it if I have to see you two fall before his wrath. I want you two to stay behind."_

_"But remember when we helped you retake the Tri-State Area while Doofenshmirtz was busy trying to conquer the 1st Dimension Tri-State Area?" asked Phineas-2. "You let us take down as many Norm Bots as we pleased!"_

_"That's because they were easy to take down. I don't know what's waiting for us back at the 1st Dimension, but I'm not taking any chances. You two are staying behind, end of discussion."_

_"But, but, but-"_

_"End of discussion!"_

_Phineas-2 drooped his head, downcast. Ferb-2 patted his stepbrother's back, while Candace-2 watched pitifully._

_"It's okay," she said, "I had Perry stay behind to keep you guys company."_

_Platyborg issued a robotic chatter of agreement. Phineas-2 smiled before looking at his sister rebelliously._

_"But that isn't _enough_," he replied. "We wanna _help_."_

_"I said end of discussion!"_

_Phineas became furious. "End of discussion? _End of discussion_? No, this discussion's _not_ over! You said you allowed us to help resist Rodney?"_

_"IT'S ALOYSE-"_

_But Phineas continued over Rodney's faraway voice. "Well, would you call handing the Resistance fancy new gadgets every week and staying behind to communicate with the others and help them out _resisting_? Because that's what we've been doing as resisting! We don't do anything in the battlefield! We just have to do the same routine over and over: introduce a new contraption to the others, tell 'em what it does, and give it to them! That's not resisting, Candace! That doesn't even fit a category of such! It's NOT!"_

_"I'm just concerned for your safety, that's all," replied Candace-2._

_"WELL, YOU'RE DOING A BAD JOB AT IT!"_

_Candace's eyes widened. "Is that defiance I'm hearing from my own little _brother_?"_

_"YES, YES IT IS!"_

_Candace merely crossed her arms, a furious expression on her face. "When I get back, we're gonna be doing some serious talking, the bo_ _th of us."_

_"I H_ _OPE YOU DON'T COME BACK, THEN!"_

_Candace opened her mouth to say something, but then she closed it in shock. Silently, she picked up her bo staff and twirled it as she stepped through the portal. Ferb-2 and Platyborg approached Phineas-2, silently asking him what to do next. Phineas_ _-2's angry expression softened._

_"I shouldn't have said that to her," he finally said; Ferb-2 nodded in agreement. "But we can't just sit by the sidelines and not do any__thing. I wanna do _something_!"_

_Phineas continued to stare at the portal as it was about to close. Finally, he made a decision._

_"Ferb, Perry," he announced, "I know what we're gonna do right now! We're following them!"_

Phineas-2's musings were interrupted when a Melee-Class Alpha Sub-Class Robot landed in front of him, its firearms about to fire. Retracting his umbrella, Platyborg instinctively sprung to the rescue and jumped onto the robot's head, its hand transforming into his mace weapon, which had begun spinning. The robot screeched a drawn-out, robotic sound seconds before Platyborg sunk its weapon into the back of its neck, sending sparks flying. The platypus cyborg dug further and further, and the robot's movements began to lessen, and finally, there was a small explosion and the head fell off and landed on the ground. The robot's decapitated body fell to the concrete sidewalk, and Platyborg leapt off of it.

"Great job, Perry!" Phineas-2 cried, and Platyborg saluted in response.

Suddenly, there was numerous stomping noises, and Phineas-2, Ferb-2, and Platyborg watched in shock as more Red Triangle Robots appeared from the streets and encircled the trio, their single red eyes flashing menacingly as the rain water dripped from their metallic armor. Platyborg issued a robotic chatter before jumping into action as his owners watched in awe.

Flipping out two shining swords from his arms, Platyborg sunk one of them into the street and channeled all of his strength into the arm to allow him to jump up into the air. Platyborg then deployed a machine gun from his back and opened fire on a Melee-Class Alpha Sub-Class Robot, a Defense-Class Robot, and an Aerial-Class Robot in midair, destroying them, before detaching one of his swords and throwing it into the back of a Ranged-Class Gamma Sub-Class Robot, its blade piercing through the robot's chest, but it still functioned as it struggled to yank the blade out. Platyborg then landed on top of a Melee-Class Beta Sub-Class Robot and used his remaining sword to decapitate the robot before transforming his hand into a pistol, which he used to fire several rounds into the head of an approaching Aerial-Class Robot, bringing it down.

Jumping off of the Melee-Class Robot as it fell, Platyborg charged for two Ranged-Class Beta Sub-Class Robots that fired all of their weapons at him, but the platypus dodged every round before leaping across them. The two robots realized too late that their target had thrown bombs that latched themselves onto their armor, and Platyborg landed on the sidewalk just as the robots exploded, their blackened and smoking pieces flying in all directions, a particularly large one decapitating an Aerial-Class Robot before it can fly away. Platyborg then ran towards a Defense-Class Robot, which raised its shield, but it proved to be no match for the warrior as he broke through the protective metal with all of his might and jumping on the robot's chest. The robot then tried to skewer Platyborg with its spear, but the cyborg jumped out of the way and the robot clumsily impaled itself.

Platyborg sensed four Melee-Class Robots (a Gamma Sub-Class, two Beta-Class, and an Alpha Sub-Class) approaching him and dodged the slashing of their bladed weapons before transforming his hands into disks with blades protruding from its edges. Detaching them, Platyborg threw the disks at his four targets, and the weapons slashed through two of them before spinning back towards its owner, slashing through the other two as a result; Platyborg caught them as if they were boomerangs and then repeated the process thrice, stopping when the robots finally went offline and fell to the sidewalk.

Chattering in triumph, Platyborg then broke through the shield of another Defense-Class Robot and decapitated his enemy before ripping the shield from it, using it as protection as he charged at six Ranged-Class Robots (two Gamma Sub-Class, a Gamma Sub-Class, and three Alpha Sub-Class) that fired their weapons at them. Shoving into one of the Ranged-Class Gamma Sub-Class Robots, knocking it down, Platyborg proceeded to jump onto the nearest robot, transformed his hand into a machine gun, and opened fire on the head until there was nothing left, before jumping onto the next robot and repeating the process. Finally bringing down five of the six robots this way, Platyborg finished off the last one with the last of his bombs, which blew a large hole in its chest.

Platyborg then faced the last robot: the Ranged-Class Gamma Sub-Class Robot that continued to try and yank his sword out of its chest. Approaching the struggling robot, Platyborg roughly yanked his weapon from the robot before making a slashing movement with the weapon, bifurcating the robot in a split-second.

Standing over the robot's upper half, Platyborg chattered in triumph again as lightning flashed and thunder rumbled as if on cue. Phineas-2 and Ferb-2 were still in awe after experiencing their pet platypus bring down an army of robots within three minutes.

"Wow," Ferb-2 said. "He's good."

"Stand right where you are, boys, platypus," a new voice said, "'cause your luck's just run out!"

Phineas-2, Ferb-2, and Platyborg watched as Roderick and Byron stalked towards them, three Doof Clones behind them.

* * *

"Phineas doesn't need you anymore," said Phineas before kicking Ferb off of him, just as the cart exited the horseshoe at fast speeds.

Growling, Ferb tackled Phineas back down, his head colliding painfully with his brother's stomach, and Phineas emitted a grunt of pain before retaliating with two punches to Ferb's face. Standing back, Ferb slipped from a puddle formed by the still-falling rain droplets and fell into the next cart. Phineas stepped into the cart, grabbed Ferb's head by the hairs, lifted it up painfully (to which Ferb began to scream in agony), and prepared to slam his face into the watery metal floor of the cart. However, Ferb moved his hand to the place his head was about to collide with, and his hand helped cushion the painful impact, although the green-haired boy still contracted some dizziness from the impact. Worse yet, the sound of a twig snapping emerged into the air, and Ferb yelled out in pain, holding his hand, the one he used to cushion his head: he had broken it from the impact.

Phineas took this chance to kick Ferb out of the cart, and the British boy felt the air rushing over his head as he fell to the earth.

"Phineas," he said, seconds before the painful landing...

* * *

Drifting safely to the ground like a bird making a graceful landing, Isabella detached herself from her parachute and ran down the street, in the direction she saw Phineas's personal jet fly off to. Running past Baljeet and Buford as they collaborated together using their _Space Adventure_ and _Stumbleberry Finkbat_ weapons to bring down several O.W.C.A. agents, past Agent Double 0-0 as he fought Sharpeard, past the Freedom Fighters as they collaborated in fighting Helmetair as she manned the Doomsday machine, Mr. Barnes and Mr. Stoner as they battled a pair of Doof Clones, past the 2nd Dimension Goozims as they overwhelmed their 1st Dimension counterparts, she ran up to the rollercoaster track, rain droplets spraying her face, when she saw the rollercoaster cart rush by, Phineas and Ferb battling it out aboard (**A/N:** That happened before Ferb was kicked off of the rollercoaster). Gasping in concern for her friends, Isabella prepared to climb the support beams when an eerie voice slithered into her ear.

"Going somewhere, Isa?"

Screaming, Isabella whipped around and fearfully threw a fist at David, who was knocked to the ground with a grunt of pain. A bolt of lightning flashed, illuminating the bomber with a menacing light. Gasping, the girl began backing up as her father rubbed his cheek, which was beginning to darken from the punch he received, stood up, and began walking towards her, a small trickle of blood oozing from his lip, a manic glint in his blue eyes.

"Punching your father, Isa?" he said, his face twitching for a second. "You deserve a time-out..."

"You're. Not. My. _Father_," snarled Isabella, her hand diving into her shirt pocket for the power glove Thor supplied her. Attaching it over her right hand, she activated it and, with a yell of anger, ran at David and punched him squarely in the stomach, and Isabella watched with a surprising sense of pleasure as David was thrown back by the powerful force of her enhanced punch before landing painfully on the street, several feet away from her.

However, this pleasure was replaced with fear when David stood up, a Death Ray gun in his hand. Thunder rumbled.

"I don't know why you reject me so, Isa," growled David. "I try, I try, I TRY to be so _nice_ to you. And all you do is shrug off my kindness! That is no way to treat your father!"

"I TOLD YOU!" Isabella screamed. "YOU'RE NOT MY _FATHER_!"

"THEN WHO IS, HUH?"

"NO ONE! NO ONE'S MY FATHER! **I HAVE NO FATHER**!"

David's eyes turned to slits as he snarled, "You can't live like this your whole life, ya know."

"I CAN, AND I WILL!" Lightning flashed, and the amount of rain began to increase.

"If you insist." David aimed the Death Ray gun and fired a single laser of death, but Isabella ducked out of the way. Growling, David again fired another laser, but Isabella rolled out of the way before taking out the high-power flashlight and activating it in the bomber's eyes, shocking him with its bright light and allowing her to land another punch on his stomach with her power glove.

David let out a drawn-out scream as he crashed with a mighty force into one of the support beams, setting off a chain reaction as the track began to implode, collapsing onto the street and crushing any Red Triangle troops underneath. Recuperating, David looked up at the collapsing track, screamed again, and attempted to run, but it was too late for him: the track fell on top of him, burying the former Tri-State Bombers leader in a pile of splintered wood and bent metal. Isabella shielded her eyes from the billowing wave of dust, and once it cleared, she looked on at the smoking rubble. Approaching it, she expected her mouth to twitch and twist into a smile, but strangely, nothing came out of it.

Suddenly, a part of the rubble burst out, pelting Isabella with pieces of wood and metal, and the girl watched on with utmost shock as a scene from a zombie flick unfolded: an arm, which had abruptly emerged from the pile, collapsed onto the rubble, as if it were finally dead. But then, the rest of David slowly emerged from the pile that buried him, dust falling off from his back as he did so. Though he was grimy, his clothes slightly torn, there was no masking that clean anger that burned in his eyes. Isabella backed away as David focused on her, his blue eyes now seemingly red.

"You're. Gonna. PAY. For. What. You. Did," hissed David as he aimed his Death Ray at Isabella, who was suddenly rendered still by an unseen force. All she did was close her eyes and wait for that flash of green that will signal the instant taking of her short life...

But instead of a flash of green, there was just a prolonged "NO!", David grunting, and a brief sound of tumbling that evolved into sounds of angry fighting. Isabella opened her eyes and watched as Jack Davison kicked David's hand, the one holding the Death Ray; the weapon was sent flying into the air and away from its owner. Snarling like a wild beast, David punched Jack in the face and dove for the gun, but Jack grabbed the bomber's shirt, pulled the man back to him, and punched him squarely in the nose; Isabella flinched as she saw tiny yet noticeable spheres of red explode from David's nose.

"Isa! Come on!"

Vivian was standing by her side, accompanied by Gretchen. Looking back at Jack and David, Isabella then nodded at her mother and followed the two down the street, away from the fight, but the three females didn't get far when David landed in front of them, a short metal pipe and a sharpened stick of wood in his hands as more lightning flashed and the rumbling of thunder continued. Blood mixed with the rain water was streaked across David's mouth and cheek, with more of it slowly trickling from his nose. His lower lip was cut, and his left eye looked puffy. Dirt from being buried under the pile of rollercoaster track continued to coat him, and his black hair was now unkempt. Derangement was glinting in his eyes, and David angrily spat out a wad of blood before stalking towards Isabella, Vivian, and Gretchen.

"I'm not gonna stall any longer," snarled David. "I shall kill you, Vivian, Isa, and then I'll send some friends along the way for company."

David raised the sharpened wooden stick when Vivian boldly spoke up.

"Why, David? Why do you have to do all of this?"

"For _revenge_, Vivian," David replied. "Revenge for what you've done to expose my activities. And revenge for what _she's_-" He pointed at Isabella with the pipe. "-done to humiliate me. I mean, she _defeated_ me, got me buried under a pile of rubble! What adult gets beaten by a mere ten-year-old?"

"I'm not talking about what's happening now. I'm talking about what happened thirteen years ago, when you started those Tri-State Bombers. What happened six years later, when you killed Phillip Flynn."

"I did all of that for fun!"

"I thought your fun was being my boyfriend." Vivian's eyes softened. "You were so fond around me, and we had such great times together. Remember that date we had, when we laid ourselves on that hill and looked up at the stars together? A shame that the hill is now a cemetery-"

"Don't remind me of that crap!" snarled David. "I don't need those memories anymore!"

"Then why, David? Why'd you leave all of that behind?"

"You should've known what kind of person I was! I can't control it!"

"I _knew_ what kind of person you were, David. I knew you were a sociopath, I knew you wanted to see suffering, I knew you reveled in the pain of others. I can still remember you laughing with pleasure when the news reported that poor little boy being abused back in-"

"HA!" David interrupted. "Then you could've stopped me there and prevented all of my crimes from happening!"

"No, I couldn't have stopped you. _You_ could've stopped yourself. I know you can control your mannerisms. I was able to tell, and I still can. And I knew that there was something better to you than the suffering of others: me."

"Well, all of that disappeared when you ratted me out!"

Vivian ignored him. "Do you remember when we first met? When my parents heard your parents abusing you and called the police? I was living in the house across the street, and the both of us were fifteen at the time. I watched it all, and you were crying; you were pleased that the abuse will finally end, and yet, you were also sad that your parents will no longer be a part of your life, for you were still dependent on them despite the suffering they inflicted on you.

"But I told you that you didn't need them anymore, because all they'll ever do is give you more abuse and they will not stop. I told you that I'll take care of you, and from that point on, I helped you recover. There was need for you to move far from me, for the foster family you were put into lived on the same street as us. And by the time you were relieved of your trauma, it was clear for the both of us that there was something deeper than just friendship inside us, deep in our hearts. It was love. And we highlighted all of it when we kissed for the first time, on that hill, under the stars. My, don't you remember that, David?"

David growled in reply, "No. I don't wanna remember anymore. All of those memories are NOTHING to me now. I don't need them."

Vivian's lip trembled as Jack crept up behind an unsuspecting David; Isabella and Gretchen realized why Vivian had begun talking.

"If you say so then, David," said Vivian. "I'm sorry."

And with that, Jack grabbed the pipe from David's hand, and with one swift motion, the bomber was knocked out with his own weapon just as lightning flashed, his unconscious body falling to the wet asphalt ground like a collapsing pile of fresh bricks. Vivian sniffled as she looked on at her ex-boyfriend's form, and Jack hugged her. "It's okay, Vivian," he said.

Meanwhile, Isabella and Gretchen examined David's body. Isabella couldn't help but now feel pity for her father.

* * *

Ferb saw a shade of green before he felt his torso collide painfully with a branch, and the British boy grunted in pain as he tumbled down the many branches of the tree that gracefully cushioned his fall. Finally, he reached the last branch before falling at least a foot onto the grassy ground. Spitting out a leaf, Ferb tried standing up, but the many bruises sustained from the fall put much strain in his motion. Five minutes have passed when Ferb was able to stand upright, and yet, he felt as if he was going to fall down again.

Groggily examining his surroundings with eyes blurred from his fall as well as the continuously falling rain, Ferb backed into a tree trunk and found himself staring at a familiar surrounding, though he didn't know what. But before he can find out, a creaking sound rumbled behind him, and it wasn't thunder: Ferb turned around to see with improving vision the rollercoaster track collapsing. It pained him to watch his first major invention with Phineas as it became reduced to a pile of rubble. He felt as if his childhood was slipping away, never to come back, just floating away with the rain-filled air, into the rubble. Looking away from the heart-wrenching sight, Ferb then realized that he was back in the Flynn-Fletcher backyard.

"Hello, Ferb."

Ferb twirled around and saw Phineas perched on a branch of the backyard tree, a smile on his face. Ferb looked at the ruins of the rollercoaster, the remains of the greatest activity he had ever done with Phineas, his friend, his stepbrother...no, his _brother_. And now, their work was now up in ashes, and worse yet, he was about to square off against Phineas in a fight, possibly to the death.

Ferb's hand dove into the pocket that held the Turn-Everything-Good-Inator, but found it empty. The invention had most likely fallen off during his fight with Phineas in the rollercoaster cart.

Sighing, Ferb looked back at Phineas, who said, "Time to finish this."

Ferb held back tears as he replied, "Bring it on."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PHEW! Isn't this chapter epic or WHAT?! Well, it's gotta be, considering this is the longest chapter in the story so far! But I gotta say, it's the longest chapter for a good reason!
> 
> First off, the battle between Phineas and Ferb. Like...Jesus Christ, I think I tapped into all of my writing potential with the fight! As I read this sequence, I could feel all the energy and creativity of my teenage self all over again. I could feel it all just FLOWING out of those words. Quite impressive for a first-time fanfiction writer, am I right? And to have the first part of that battle take place aboard the rollercoaster, Phineas and Ferb's first-ever invention, the invention that introduced us to this fantastic show...man, that just feels so cathartic! It hits close to home, doesn't it?
> 
> Also, we have reached the cathartic moment where Phineas realizes he has taken everything in his life for granted and is on the verge of losing it all. Even with the possibility of him living with Phillip again on the line, he chooses to abandon it and go back to his old life so he could save it from the menace that is threatening to take it over and reform it in his own image. Now that's what I call dramatic.
> 
> I also enjoy rereading the other action sequences, particularly Platyborg's. Man, when it was Platyborg's time to shine, I made sure he SHONE. A lot. As a trained cyborg platypus assassin, I had to make sure his efficiency and prowess would be put up front and center. Even with a reformed Doofenshmirtz-2 at the helm of the 2nd Dimension, Platyborg is clearly still capable of all these awesome and badass feats.
> 
> However, this chapter was the start of an outcome that I have come to regret in retrospect. I guess I was being my edgy little teenage self again when I revealed David's backstory. I was trying to open give the character a shot at redemption, but now, I feel like that wasn't really the best decision going forward. I won't spoil anything for the sake of new readers, but if any of you old readers know what I'm talking about, then I will admit the execution left A LOT to be desired. After all, I hyped up David to be an irredeemable psychopath who works with the Shadow to make the heroes' lives miserable, and yet, I segue into his redemption arc a little too abruptly and a little too quickly. If anything, this probably should've marked the end for David and his arc here, given how I buried him underneath the rollercoaster track.
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	22. Love Against Hate, Part 3 of 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phineas and Ferb square off in the Flynn-Fletcher backyard, the very place they came up with all of their ideas. Meanwhile, Django, Candace-2 and Future Isabella experience their own fights.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took a while for me to post. I decided to occupy all of my spare time on fics that I knew desperately needed to be updated. Fortunately, a brief dry spell of motivation and a period of unexplained fatigue gave me the time and drive I needed to go through the salvaged chapter, remove all of the unnecessary coding, and add the new Author's Notes for your reading pleasure. Now it's ready for y'all!
> 
> Alright, on with the chapter! And an interesting chapter, this should be! ENJOY!
> 
> P.S.: Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

Streaks of lightning slithered through the clouds, resembling cracks emerging all over glass. The booming rumble of thunder pierced the atmosphere, and the rain continued to pour as the two Flynn-Fletcher brothers stared daggers at one another in their own backyard, the place where they formulated all of their big ideas that brought them closer. Strong gusts of wind blew in, and the backyard tree began to sway in uncomfortable motions. The wet grass waved at the two boys with the wind.

Phineas's black-and-red hair was plastered all over his forehead, and his green eyes were alive with determined anger as he stared Ferb down. As for Ferb, he started feeling the effects of the cold rain weighing down on him, and he began to shiver, but the British boy shrugged it off as he reluctantly prepared to fight his own brother for the first time. Both boys flexed their fingers, waiting for the other to make the first move that will signal the beginning of this climactic final showdown.

Finally, it was Phineas who ran towards Ferb, his hand rolling up into a menacing fist. Throwing a punch at his opponent's face, Phineas missed when Ferb stepped out of the way, and the green-haired boy countered with an elbowing to the back. Crying out in a mixture of pain and anger, Phineas retaliated with a kick to the leg that landed itself successfully; Ferb crumpled to the grassy ground, groaning with agony. Snickering with triumph, Phineas then attempted to grab Ferb's neck, but Ferb rolled out of the way and the inventor instead grabbed a handful of grass and dirt.

But Phineas knew what to do next. Smiling, he threw the grass and dirt at Ferb's face, forcing his opponent to shield himself. Phineas then seized the opportunity to punch Ferb in the stomach twice before bringing him to the ground with a hard punch to the cheek. Groaning, Ferb crawled towards the tree, but the pain of Phineas's latest attack, as well as his soaked clothes, weighed him down, and he felt a hand latch itself around the rear collar of his shirt, and the next thing he knew, he was gagging for air as Phineas lifted him up with just the rear collar.

Phineas then released his grip on the collar and grabbed a tuft of Ferb's hairs. A second later, Ferb let out a bloodcurdling scream as he felt the tuft of his own hairs being ripped out from his scalp, the pain flooding the whole of it. Hearing his brother scoff, Ferb instinctively placed his hands over the spot his hair was torn out, massaging it. Phineas looked at the hairs he pulled out, smiled a malevolent smile, and sprinkled them all over Ferb, who was now sobbing as he continued to rub his scalp, relieving it of the sharp pain that pierced it like a knife.

"Here ya go," said Phineas, smirking. "Some fairy dust."

Continuing to massage his scalp, Ferb watched as Phineas began to pace around the backyard, examining the tree like a curious child. The ten-year-old inventor then smiled.

"You know, Fletcher," he said, "I think I know something only you know. After all, it's been obvious all along: You are _jealous_ of me, or at least jealous towards the old, worthless Phineas. I mean, the both of us have always been referred to as 'Phineas and Ferb', not 'Ferb and Phineas'. It just didn't suit anyone. And always does everyone go to Phineas for support, for advice, for inspiration, never you, despite your amounts of courage and love that equal mine. And Phineas gets the girl, not you. Every time you guys build something, Phineas gets most of the credit, while you're nothing but a generic engineer who does nothing but construct the inventions and reply with a thumbs-up. It's been this way all summer long, and you've become sick of it. No one cares for Ferb Fletcher.

"But you don't have to feel jealous anymore, Fletcher. Just join me, and I'll ensure that you get all of the credit you ever wanted and deserved. I will make sure that everyone knows your name and is proud of it. You will be famous everywhere! Your triumphant name will echo across my empire! All you have to do, Fletcher, is join me. Join me, and things will go your way. So, what do you say? Do you want to follow me through the path of glory, or do you wanna remain an unrecognized, worthless boy?"

Phineas's smile then became more pronounced as the rain continued to fall.

"Do you want your mother to be right?"

No longer feeling the pain that ferociously assaulted his scalp, Ferb stood up with renewed strength. A bolt of lightning flashed through the sky, illuminating the scene with yellow light. He knew his decision, and he was unanimously going for it.

"Never," he replied.

Phineas's smile turned into a frown, and he snarled, "No one will ever know your name, Fletcher!"

"There's only one person who'll truly know my name," Ferb said, "and that's you, Phineas."

"Well, Phineas is gone, and he's never coming back. I'm gonna give you one more chance for widespread recognition and acclaim, Fletcher. Join me."

"Never," Ferb replied again. Phineas growled the growl of a wild beast.

"Why? Why must you be _so hard_ to overcome? It's hopeless, Fletcher! The Red Triangle will win! After all, it's guaranteed in the future!"

"There's always a chance for us to create a brighter future. But our chances would be higher with you leading us, Phineas. Please, fight the evil!"

"For the last time, Fletcher! Phineas. Doesn't. Need. You. _Anymore_. Now, prepare to DIE."

Issuing an angry yell, Phineas then tackled Ferb to the ground and punched him across the face thrice. Before Phineas can land a fourth punch, Ferb was able to grab his brother's fist with his unbroken hand and channeled all of his strength into that arm, which he used to throw Phineas off of him. He then kicked Phineas while he was still on the ground with reluctance, but his opponent found a small stone and threw it with all of his might at Ferb's head. Ferb dodged the stone, but his latest action distracted him long enough for Phineas to punch his leg, sending him to the ground again, and Phineas roughly placed a foot onto his brother's back to prevent him from crawling away.

Ferb then heard Phineas take out something and then felt the barrel of a Death Ray gun being placed over the back of his head. Ferb's eyes widened, and Phineas smiled with sadistic pleasure.

"Goodbye, Ferb," he said.

But before the inventor can pull the trigger to end the British boy's life once and for all, a grappling hook appeared out of nowhere, latching itself onto the contraption with a vice-like grip, and Phineas watched with anger as his weapon was abruptly pulled away from him towards a figure shrouded in the dark shadow of the backyard fence. At first, both boys didn't know who the newcomer was, but they instantly realized the identity of Ferb's savior split-seconds after the figure emitted a sound familiar to them.

A chatter.

* * *

Future Isabella continued to struggle with Emperor Phineas as he attempted to disable her jetpack, rain pouring, lightning flashing, and thunder rumbling as he did so. Desperately firing a laser from her Turn-Everything-Good-Inator, she unfortunately missed, and the emperor smirked as he punched the young woman in the face; Future Isabella accidentally released her grip on Doofenshmirtz's Inator, and she watched as her last hope in saving her friend fell to the earth below. She then looked back at Emperor Phineas's green eyes, which were alive with triumphant pleasure, before the ruler flew another fist across her cheek. Groaning, stunned from the powerful punch, Future Isabella lost maintenance of her jetpack as she struggled to control her consciousness, and the two began spiraling wildly through the air and into the storm clouds, Emperor Phineas screaming all the way.

It was as if they were in another world: everything was just dark, gray clouds, all assuming the form of wispy landmasses of cotton candy. Streaks of lightning slithered through the clouds every several seconds, and there was the constant booming of thunder that assaulted Future Isabella's eardrums with vicious accuracy. The only saving grace of flying through the storm clouds was the lovely blue sky that was above them. The beautiful noon sun shone its brilliant sunlight on the two people from the future. Finally, after fifteen minutes of this, Future Isabella regained control over herself and controlled her jetpack to fly herself and her friend out of the storm clouds.

Emperor Phineas seized the chance to remove the straps linking Future Isabella to her jetpack, and the woman screamed as she plummeted down towards Danville. Meanwhile, Emperor Phineas was able to strap the jetpack onto himself before making a head-dive towards Future Isabella. Grabbing the Freedom Fighters leader roughly, he then began shooting up towards the storm clouds again. Future Isabella felt the large amount of rain droplets pelting her head lightly as she began to ascend further and further towards the bank of clouds. Finally, the pelting stopped as Emperor Phineas flew through the clouds and back into the world of gray landmasses of clouds and the beautiful sky with the lovely sun.

At first, Future Isabella didn't know what the emperor had in store for her, but when he continued to ascend into the air, a malicious smile on his face, the woman realized what he was doing. Her suspicions were confirmed when he procured an air mask and placed it over his head.

"NO! PHINEAS!" cried Future Isabella. "YOU CAN'T DO THIS!"

"Can't I?" Emperor Phineas replied. "Let's watch and find out!"

Future Isabella struggled hopelessly against her friend-turned-enemy's tight grip as her source of oxygen became to lessen by the minute. Soon, the storm clouds were at least a mile below the two now, and the woman's movements began to weaken with the ever-decreasing supply of air. Future Isabella began to see the stars and remembered the few times she had actually been in outer space before. Now, this was the first time she was going up there without an air mask.

Gagging, her consciousness drifting, Future Isabella began using what strength she had left to flail her limbs about as Emperor Phineas smiled on, the sounds of his breathing with the aid of his air mask sounding a lot like Zaruk Vargo from _Space Adventure_ (**A/N:** Guess who I'm trying to reference.).

Finally, she was able to knee Emperor Phineas in the groin, and her friend's drawn-out yell of pain was the last thing she heard before she began to plummet to the earth below, her consciousness finally drifting away from the low presence of oxygen...

_The three-year-old Isabella waddled beside her mother as the both of them walked across the street, towards 2308 Maple Drive, away from the trucks that were being unloaded of their furniture. It was just a few minutes ago when the two of them moved into their new home in Danville, and Vivian thought it would be polite to introduce themselves politely to their new neighbors, starting with the house across the street._

_"Remember, Isa," said Vivian, "always say 'hello' and 'goodbye'. Be nice to our new neighbors in any way possible."_

_"I will, Mommy," Isabella replied sweetly._

_"That's my little chica," Vivian said, smiling._

_The two made it across the street and had now approached the front door of 2308 Maple Drive. It was a bright, sunny day, and there was a light, comfortable breeze of wind. Vivian took a deep breath and rang the doorbell, while Isabella was lost in thought. She wondered what the neighbors here would be like. Would they be nice? Would they be mean? The girl hoped that they would be certainly nice, and she soon found herself shivering with reluctance._

_"M-maybe they're not h-home, Mommy," said Isabella fearfully._

_However, she was proven wrong when the door opened to reveal a redheaded woman, who was holding a large pair of scissors. Isabella gulped and hid behind her mother in fear._

_"Hello there!" greeted the woman. "You must be the new neighbors."_

_"Yes we are," Vivian replied. "I'm Vivian Garcia-Shapiro, and behind me is my daughter Isabella. Say hello, Isa."_

_"But she has scary scissors!" whimpered Isabella, and the woman laughed heartily._

_"No, no, I'm using these scissors for gardening. It's okay, I'm of no harm."_

_Isabella gulped and slowly emerged from behind her mother. Looking at her new neighbor's eyes, she saw not cruelty burning in them, but a soothing kindness. The young girl immediately smiled and ran forward to hug the woman's leg lovingly._

_"I'm Isabella!" she greeted._

_"Aw, she's so _cute_," commented the woman. "By the way, I'm Linda Flynn."_

_"Nice to meet you, Linda," replied Vivian as she shook hands with the woman._

_"Maybe Isabella should meet my two children!" Linda then called into the house. "Candace, Phineas, can you come to the front door, please?"_

_"Okay, Mommy!" two young voices chirped simultaneously, and a minute later, two children ran into the scene. One was an older girl, who had red hair and eyes that burned with independence, and she was clutching a Ducky Momo doll that Isabella knew so well; she found it odd and humorous that a girl that age still loved Ducky Momo. The other child was a boy of Isabella's age, with a triangular head of spiky red hair and the most loving, energetic smile on his face._

_"Hi!" the boy cried, hugging Isabella. "I'm Phineas! What's your name?"_

_"I-Isabella," replied Isabella meekly, shocked from being hugged by a boy her age._

_"Will you be my friend?"_

_Isabella looked at Phineas's blue eyes, his smile that seemed to radiate light, and she smiled._

_"Okay!" she replied._

_"Aw, I think the two like each other already!" noted Linda to Vivian, who nodded back._

_Isabella blinked as she continued to smile at Phineas, and she started experiencing a new feeling inside her._

_"Will we be best friends forever?" asked Phineas innocently._

_For some reason, 'best friends' didn't suit Isabella well, but she didn't know why yet. She just smiled._

_"Yes. Best friends forever!"_

A crashing sound assaulted Future Isabella's eardrums, and she found herself falling towards Danville below. The storm was still active. As the street closed in, only one image crossed the woman's mind.

Phineas's caring smile.

Future Isabella smiled and braced herself for the impact.

* * *

"PERRY!" Ferb cried as lightning flashed again.

"WHAT?" roared Phineas, foolishly stepping away from Ferb and allowing the boy to roll over to his pet. "I thought you were DEAD!"

Perry displayed his notebook to Phineas, which read, _"I landed on a pile of cushions owned by Uncle Willy's Super-Soft Cushions."_

Phineas stared on blankly before commenting, "Well that's an anticlimactic way for you to survive. Ah well." He then procured a backup Death Ray gun. "At least I'll guarantee that you die by my hand. The both of you! TAKE THIS!"

Phineas proceeded to fire lasers at Ferb and Perry, but they rolled out of the way before Perry tossed Ferb a baseball launcher. Ferb aimed it at Phineas and fired a single baseball that knocked him down; Phineas dropped his Death Ray weapon as a result. Perry then aimed his grappling hook launcher at his fallen owner and fired a hook. Using the hook's rope to lasso Phineas, Perry chattered in triumph and high-fived Ferb while Phineas struggled against the rope restraining him.

"Do you still have your Turn-Everything-Good-Inator, Perry?" Ferb asked. Perry nodded and handed the Inator to his owner.

Ferb looked at the struggling Phineas, smiling with relief as he aimed the Turn-Everything-Good-Inator at his brother.

"Welcome back, Phineas," Ferb said as he pulled the trigger.

* * *

Candace-2 watched as one of Sharpeard's Inators exploded due to the Self-Destruct-Inator she implanted on the contraption. Crossing her arms and smiling triumphantly, the teenager then turned her head and saw, with a shock, Roderick, Byron, and a trio of Doof Clones escorting a captured Phineas-2, Ferb-2, and Platyborg towards the Red Triangle Sun-Beater 3000. She gasped at the horrifying sight; the last thing she wanted to see was her loved ones endangered.

"No!" she cried, and Candace-2 twirled her bo staff as she sprinted towards the group.

Meanwhile, Roderick and Byron were preparing to escort their captives into the Sun-Beater 3000. Platyborg tried to fight back, but the Doof Clone had implanted a chip that limited his movements. Phineas-2 and Ferb-2 looked at their captors, looks of hopelessness etched on their faces.

Roderick turned to the Doof Clones and ordered, "Throw them into the Sun-Beater 3000. Our bosses will think up of good benefits from them."

"Yes, sir!" replied the Doof Clone holding Ferb-2.

Suddenly, Candace-2 landed on the roof of the Sun-Beater 3000, then leapt off of it and landed on the ground, striking the Doof Clone holding Phineas-2 in the head with her staff as she did so. She then slammed her staff against the stomach of the Doof Clone holding Platyborg before elbowing the Doof Clone holding Ferb-2. Roderick and Byron growled as their Doof Clones were now lying on the ground, unconscious.

"Byron, get the girl!" ordered Roderick. "I'm reclaiming the hostages!"

Byron issued a battle cry and charged for Candace-2, but she instantly struck him across the face with her staff, sending him to the wet ground. But before she can run over to Roderick, Byron immediately recuperated and grabbed Candace-2's ankle before slamming her onto a nearby lamppost. He then proceeded to kick her repeatedly as she tried to stand up.

"CANDACE!" cried Phineas-2 as Roderick closed in on him.

Candace-2 looked up and saw Roderick about to grab her brothers. At that moment, a surge of new energy flowed into her, and she let out a prolonged, drawn-out "NO!" that distracted Byron, allowing her to seize her bo staff and hit the muscular bomber in the groin, sending him crumpling to the ground in pain. Candace-2 then knocked out Byron with a kick to the face. Next, she charged for Roderick, issuing a yell of anger.

Before Roderick can defend himself, Candace-2 had already hit him in the chest with her staff, then punched him in the face, painfully slamming him onto the Sun-Beater 3000's exterior. The teenager then grabbed the former bomber before he can collapse on the ground, and slammed him against the same lamppost she was slammed onto before throwing him to the ground. Groaning in pain, Roderick spotted a slab of asphalt, which he grabbed and used to strike Candace-2 across the stomach. He then slammed the slab against her back, sending the Resistance leader to the sidewalk. Chuckling as thunder rumbled, Roderick picked up the slab and prepared to strike Candace-2 across the head with it when...

**"NNNNNOOOOO!"**

Phineas-2 and Ferb-2 jumped on Roderick and began hitting him with smaller slabs of asphalt, but their attacks did little effect to him, and the bomber angrily grabbed both boys and threw them off of him. Growling, he stalked towards the two boys instead. Platyborg tried to crawl towards them, but the chip was still affecting his systems. Candace-2 watched with horror as Roderick raised the slab, aiming it at Phineas-2's head.

Screaming with pure rage, Candace-2 stood up and hit Roderick across the back with her staff; he dropped the slab as a result. She then kicked him in the groin and followed it with a punch to the face that sent Roderick to the street. Her insides burning with anger at the bomber, Candace-2 stood over Roderick, who looked up at her, dazed.

"Your brothers are the worst fighters, ya know that?" wheezed Roderick like a drunk.

"You. Will not. Try. And hurt. My brothers. AGAIN!" Candace-2 snarled.

Roderick laughed heartily. "And just how are you gonna ensure that, girl?" he asked.

"THIS WAY!" Candace-2 screeched, and she began hitting Roderick with her staff, using all of her strength. Instead of crying out in pain, Roderick instead smiled and began laughing, as if he was being tickled instead.

"OH YEAH, BABY!" he screamed. "MORE, BABY! MORE! MORE, MORE, _MORE_, AHAHAHAHAHA!"

Roderick's words only fueled Candace-2's rage, and she began hitting the bomber faster and faster with her staff, the falling of rain, the flashing of lightning, and the rumbling of thunder highlighting her fury and determination to ensure Roderick never harmed her brothers again. As she continued to swing the staff, images began flashing in her memory: images of the funeral of her father. In her dimension, Phillip was killed during Doofenshmirtz-2's takeover of the Tri-State Area, a tragedy that the dictator later apologized for. He was killed as he tried to fight the Norm Bots to protect his family, and it traumatized Candace-2 the most. She had since vowed to ensure that her brother, and later Ferb, wouldn't share the same fate as Phillip-2. And there was no way this vow was going to be broken.

Phineas-2 and Ferb-2 looked on in shock as their sister began to devote herself to a pattern of raising her staff, striking Roderick, raising the staff again, and striking Roderick again. Phineas-2 realized with horror that his sister was never going to stop.

"CANDACE! STOP!"

But Candace-2 continued, and Roderick's laughter was still echoing through the street, louder than that booming of thunder. Phineas-2's eyes began to well up with tears as he watched his sister become a monster, continuing to hit Roderick viciously with blind determination.

"CANDACE! **SSSTTTOOOPPP**!"

But it was too late. Candace-2 had already raised her staff one last time, and brought it down with a finality onto Roderick's head. A loud crack, not of thunder, pierced the air, a crack that chilled Phineas-2 and Ferb-2 to the bone, and they watched as a piece of their sister's staff flipped into the air, blood streaked across it. The piece flipped several times, becoming illuminated briefly by a flashing bolt of lightning, and then it landed several feet away from Roderick's body with a wet clatter. Gasping, Phineas-2 looked at his sister, who was panting, rain water dripping down her body. Shock at what she had done filled the Resistance leader's face as she held her now-broken bo staff.

Candace-2 then gasped out, "Oh, God! What have I done?"

* * *

The motorcyclist skated towards Norm, and Django and his group watched as he pressed a button on his wrist. Four more figures appeared; they were duplicates of the motorcyclist, only with attire colored differently from their original. While the motorcyclist had black clothing, there was a clone that wore red clothing, another that wore green, a fourth that wore blue, and the fifth wore white. The motorcyclist and his clones continued to skate towards Norm, and they all procured automatic handguns and aimed the firearms at Norm.

"Everyone, duck!" cried Charlene.

The group's heads all dove down, just seconds before the five motorcyclists opened fire on Norm. Baljeet-2 took out a Resistance hand grenade, yanked its pin out, and threw it out of the already-shattered rear window, at their pursuers. The grenade landed on the street, and the white motorcyclist accidentally skated over it, setting off an explosion that engulfed him. Baljeet-2 let out a whoop of victory, while the Norm Bot and the tandem bike began firing their weapons at the four remaining pursuers.

Dodging a laser, the green motorcyclist then skated into a different street while the other three continued to return fire.

"Hey, where's that guy goin'?" asked Beppo.

"There's no time to ponder that!" Charlene exclaimed. "We've gotta do something about those two!"

"I've got that taken care of!" Adyson replied as she took out a grappling hook from the backpack she brought.

"Where'd you get that?" asked Django.

"Fireside Girls always come prepared."

With a grunt, Adyson then threw the grappling hook out of the window, and the hook landed on the street with a grinding clatter. The blue motorcyclist accidentally skated over the hook, and it became tangled with his left skating wheel; the clone fell over subsequently and was instantly dragged with Norm at high speeds. Adyson and Django both took control of the rope and began swerving the motorcyclist so they can hit the other two. However, the two motorcyclists flipped over their fallen comrade, continuously dodging every move with expertise.

Meanwhile, Doofenshmirtz and Doofenshmirtz-2 continued to pedal their tandem bike when they saw miles ahead the green motorcyclist skating towards Norm; he had taken a route that took him in front of the group.

"Guys, ahead of you!" called Doofenshmirtz. Beppo and Charlene looked out of the windshield and gasped while the green motorcyclist aimed his firearm.

However, Django had an idea and ordered, "Norm, swerve yourself around when we get near to the guy in front of us!"

"Yes, sir!" replied Norm optimistically and sped faster and faster towards the green motorcyclist. Finally, when the green motorcyclist was only at least half a mile away from Norm, the robot immediately swerved around, taking the blue motorcyclist with him, and the blue clone was thrown towards the green one. The green motorcyclist tried to take another direction, but it was too late: both clones collided painfully with each other, the blue clone breaking free from the rope that tethered him as a result, and they fell onto the street, their bodies still.

The black and red motorcyclists seized their chance to aim their firearms as they closed in on Norm, but the robot cleverly sped forward and hit both pursuers within seconds, sending both the motorcyclist and his clone flying into the air. The motorcyclist landed on a pile of cushions, while the clone landed painfully on the street and was still. Both Doofenshmirtzes and the Norm Bot watched the scene in shock before regrouping with Norm.

"Now," Doofenshmirtz-2 said to his doppelganger, "THAT is what I call hard-core!"

"That wasn't hard-core!" argued Doofenshmirtz. "I say that-"

"Let's save that for later, guys!" interrupted Django. "For now, we've gotta get to DEI!"

Both Doofenshmirtzes reluctantly nodded before following Norm and the Norm Bot to the DEI building, the motorcyclist, the original one, silently watching them.

It took Django's group five minutes to arrive at the DEI, and Django felt anticipation to right his wrongs burning inside him.

"You know," commented Baljeet-2, "that was almost too _easy_."

At that moment, the O.W.C.A. bus appeared from another street and was speeding towards Norm. Everyone inside screamed as Doofenshmirtz's robotic servant tried to stop, but it was too late for him as he crashed into the bus's side, splitting it in half. Norm and the bus halves were all sent flying into the air, and Norm ejected his uninjured passengers out before transforming into his robot form in midair; he then caught Vanessa and Charlene in his hands and also fired grabbing claws to catch Django, Adyson, Beppo, and Baljeet-2. The O.W.C.A. bus halves both transformed into the Morn Duo in midair as well. Norm then landed onto the concrete sidewalk on his feet, while Morn Alpha landed clumsily on a pickup truck, Morn Beta landing on a bus stop with equal clumsiness.

Doofenshmirtz and Doofenshmirtz-2 rode up to Norm on their tandem bike, dismounted it, and the former rushed up to Charlene and Vanessa, both of whom were released by Norm along with the others.

"Are you two okay?" asked the scientist as he embraced his ex-wife and daughter in a hug.

"Yeah, we are," Charlene replied.

"We have Norm to thank for that," said Vanessa, and she looked up at Norm. "Thanks, bro."

"You're welcome, sis!" Norm replied cheerfully. He then noticed the Morn Duo standing up and deploying their weapons, and looked at his creator. "Dad, you lead everyone else into DEI, while I'm gonna fend off these punks."

"I'm not your father, Norm, for the last time," said Doofenshmirtz. "And what? You're not going out there and fighting those robots unless _I_ say so! And you're only programmed to fight Perry the Platypus!"

"Remember, you never read my instruction manual."

"It's a no, Norm! Let your other-dimension doppelganger handle that!"

"Heinz," interjected Charlene, "let your robot do what he feels he must do."

"But Charlene-"

"He wants to _protect_ you, Heinz. You're a father figure to him, and he's a robot. Can't you respect that?"

Doofenshmirtz looked at his creation, who stared pleadingly back at him. The scientist didn't know what to reply. Ever since his creation, Norm had been so useful to him in his duties as a robotic servant, and to lose him and his help was something he didn't want as much as the loss of Vanessa or Charlene. But now that he looked at it from Norm's perspective, Doofenshmirtz finally realized that all he had been doing to thank Norm for his service was derisive remarks towards him, and now that Norm was evolving psychologically, he wondered if the robot was holding in any feelings of rage against his creator. Rarely had Doofenshmirtz given Norm the gratitude he deserved, and now was his chance to do so.

Smiling sadly, Doofenshmirtz replied, "Go ahead, Norm. Take 'em out. And Norm?"

"Yes, uh, sir?" asked Norm.

"I take back everything I said about you not being my son. You may not be of my own flesh, bones, and blood; in fact, you're just metal, bolts, and wiring. But anyway, you've been so loyal to me so much, and you've given me the best of help in my schemes. However, I never thanked you for your faithful services, and if I did and I don't remember it, I must've zapped myself with an Amnesia-Inator afterwards. So, just in case you don't...you don't make it, then I want to just say thank you, Norm, for all of the things you have done for me in the past to help make my schemes nearly succeed, and that somewhere in my mind, I've always thought of you as the son I never had."

Norm just stared on at Doofenshmirtz. Finally, a tear slid from the robot's eye. It wasn't a tear of oil, but a tear of pure, clear water. Doofenshmirtz was confident that he didn't install any water pouches or such in the robot's eyes, and the scientist too shed a tear with joy at the newest ability of his creation, now his greatest.

"Oh, Dad!" cried Norm cheerfully, grabbing Doofenshmirtz and embracing him in a tight hug. "Thank you, thank you, _thank you_!"

"Yeah, that's good Norm. Now, you'd better get going! These two whatever-they-were-called robots are coming!"

"Yeah, that's right," replied Norm before reluctantly releasing his master and creator and facing the Morn Duo.

"Norm Bot," Doofenshmirtz-2 said to his robotic soldier, "help out your other-dimension counterpart!"

_**"**_**Yes**_**, sir!"**_ replied the Norm Bot, and it hovered beside Norm as they faced their opponents together, while the others ran off to the DEI front doors. Norm looked at the Norm Bot.

"Ready, other-dimension me?" he asked.

_**"Do not distract me or be destroyed," **_the Norm Bot replied.

"Okay!" said Norm, still optimistic. "Yeesh, I sure am so grumpy in the other dimension."

* * *

Django, Adyson, Beppo, the Doofenshmirtzes, and Baljeet-2 ran up to the DEI front doors, anticipation pounding in their hearts as they prepared themselves for what was up in Doofenshmirtz's laboratory. Everyone watched as Doofenshmirtz began searching his lab coat before groaning angrily. He then pulled at the doors, but it turned out that they were locked. Sighing and muttering something indiscernible, the scientist then approached a set of buttons on the wall to the left and pressed one of them, feigning a smile.

"He-hello?" came an elderly voice.

"Hello, Mrs. Thompson?" replied Doofenshmirtz. "It's me, Heinz! I think I left my keys in my room. Can you buzz me and my friends in?"

There was a short silence before Mrs. Thompson replied, "Sorry, who is this?"

"Ugh! Heinz Doofenshmirtz, your neighbor! You borrowed sugar from me seven days ago. For _five_ times?"

"Who?"

Doofenshmirtz slumped with annoyance. "Are we _seriously _gonna do this again? I'm Heinz Doofenshmirtz! Heinz Doofenshmirtz! HEINZ DOOFENSHMIRTZ!"

"I'm sorry, who again?"

"HEI-" Doofenshmirtz began, but his eyes brightened up with an idea. He had done this before and it worked, so it's guaranteed to work again. "I'm selling magazines!"

There was another short silence. Finally, Mrs. Thompson replied again.

"I'm sorry, I already have a stack of magazines. You'll have to come back sometime tomorrow. Goodbye!"

"No, no, wait!" exclaimed Doofenshmirtz, but it was too late, for the senile woman had hung up on him. "AW, _POOH_!"

"Um, honey?" asked Charlene.

Doofenshmirtz turned to his ex-wife, impatience and annoyance etched on his face. "What?"

Charlene merely showed the scientist his Door-Opener-Inator, to which Doofenshmirtz's eyes widened. Slapping his forehead in disbelief, the scientist grabbed it and aimed it at the doors. Firing a laser that enveloped one of the doors, Doofenshmirtz gasped with admiration at his useful Inator as the door swung open in an instant. High-fiving Doofenshmirtz-2, Doofenshmirtz then led everyone inside the building and toward the elevators.

* * *

Ferb gasped when no laser emerged from the Turn-Everything-Good-Inator, and Perry chattered in shock. Phineas cackled at the turn of events and, with a determined grunt, ripped free from his bonds. Ferb didn't notice, for he was busy examining the Inator that failed to do what it was designed to do.

"What happened?" Ferb exclaimed, desperate. "Why didn't it work?"

"It was short-circuited by the rain, that's what!" replied a smiling Phineas. "Teaches you to expose electrical machinery to the rain before you decide to use it on me! AHAHAHA!"

Ferb simply couldn't believe it. The last hope for everything he knew, _his_ last hope for the return of the true Phineas, was _gone_. Gasping in sad, defeated anguish as his heart began to rip, the British boy dropped the Turn-Everything-Good-Inator to the ground, just as lightning flashed again. Another gust of wind blew up, spraying Ferb, Perry, and Phineas with the rain, and the backyard tree continued to sway uncomfortably, the perilous chances of it collapsing on the rise.

"Now what, Ferb?" Phineas asked tauntingly. "You're last hope for bringing back that weak Phineas has gone up in smoke! And what's left for you to do now, huh?"

Ferb looked at Phineas, and Phineas stared back at him. The green-haired boy finally didn't know what to do. If only the real Phineas were beside him, then a counterattack would instantly be in place. But here he was, facing a megalomaniacal doppelganger of his brother, preparing to square off in another round of their backyard fight. But this was _Phineas_. Ferb knew that somewhere inside was his real brother, and to ensure that this new Phineas doesn't conquer the universe might mean... Ferb didn't even want to think of it. But Phineas was unstoppable in his craving for widespread power, and to be spared would allow him to proceed with this 'Operation: Brown'.

Ferb's musings were interrupted when Phineas asked tauntingly, "What now, Ferb?"

The British boy looked at his brother, sadness in his eyes. Ferb knew what he must do now.

"I'm sorry, Phineas," he said, right before he took out one of Thaddeus's power gloves and punched his brother into the backyard tree, which splintered upon impact, and the tree under which Phineas and Ferb both thought up of the ideas that brought them closer together fell with an earsplitting thud. Phineas was able to roll out of the trunk's way, and faced Ferb and Perry again.

Perry looked at Ferb, and Ferb looked at the platypus agent. The sadness in his owner's eyes told Perry all that he needed to know, and he bowed his head in respect for his other owner, before standing beside Ferb as they stared Phineas down. Ferb spoke.

"Phineas, the only way we're gonna have to stop your evil self is to-" Ferb gulped and skipped ahead. "I just wanted you to know that I love you, and that you were the best brother anyone can ask for. You helped me move on from my past, and you were always there for me. I love you, Phineas."

Phineas's eyes widened, and then he cackled.

"HOW _FANTASTIC_!" he howled. "So your last resort is to _kill_ me? HA! Let's see you try! Bring it on!"

Ferb gave a small smile before joining Perry in combat.

* * *

Phineas, the true Phineas, watched from the Shadow's realm of the brain as Ferb spoke to him through the projection on the eerie mist. At first, Phineas was horrified by Ferb's latest announcement, but then he realized that there was no other way. He knew that the Shadow was unstoppable, and that there were two ways to stop him: either shoot him with a Turn-Everything-Good-Inator, or kill him. With the Turn-Everything-Good-Inator available short-circuited, and Ferb having lost his own on the rollercoaster, there was no other choice. Unless someone else shows up with a Turn-Everything-Good-Inator in his or her grasp...

Phineas smiled when Ferb told him he loved him and replied, "I love you too, bro."

_"What must be done must be done."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have mixed feelings about this chapter in hindsight. On one hand, the action sequences are pretty awesome as usual. I actually remember being inspired by the movies "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" and "Tron: Legacy" while I was writing this, and you can actually see the close similarities if you've watched either of those movies. I also enjoy the development I did with Doofenshmirtz and Norm's relationship; it was truly a nice resolution.
> 
> But on the other hand, I am once again being a dark, edgy teenager who knows nothing but darkness and edginess. XP Candace-2 killing someone in such a horrible, brutal way? Ferb and Perry concluding Phineas needs to be killed in order for the Shadow to be stopped? I think there were alternatives to those scenarios that should've been considered, and in hindsight, I definitely should've pursued any and all available alternatives to ensure everyone stayed in-character. Now, yes, an evil, megalomaniacal Phineas is supposed to be serious business, but this is still "Phineas and Ferb". I think I put way too much emphasis on the dark tone that I was hoping to use.
> 
> Anyway, what's done is done. Besides, I think this chapter's shortcomings can be rectified by what's about to come in the next chapter. And I do hope all of you old readers know what I'm talking about when I say that! ;D ;D ;D
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this late chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	23. Stopping Phineas, Part 4 of 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Django and his group infiltrate DEI to do whatever they can to thwart Phineas's scheme. Meanwhile, Ferb is forced to initiate his heart-wrenching decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I'm sorry this took a while for me to post. I decided to prioritize updating or publishing other fics, and if you've been following my profile, you'll see I've been very ambitious as of late. Fortunately, I now have the spare time to take care of this. And this couldn't have been better timed, for this year's Independence Day marks the beginning of Phineas's independence from the Shadow!
> 
> To all of you old readers, I hope you know what happens in this chapter that ensures that! ;)
> 
> Speaking of which, there's a reason why this chapter is up on AO3 first instead of FanFiction.Net like usual. This chapter features a lot of song lyrics, which aren't allowed on FanFiction.Net due to its Content Guidelines. Because of that, I needed to excise everything song-related from the chapter, which is proving to be a difficult task since the sequence of songs is an EXTREMELY integral part of the chapter and the overall plot. Without it, it'd be like watching "Avengers: Endgame" with the Time Heist parts suddenly removed. I'm still trying to figure out a way to navigate through all of that.
> 
> However, since AO3's rules are more relaxed (to the best of my knowledge), I've decided to post the chapter in its entirety on here first, since I don't need to do any excising and censoring. I might as well get it out of the way before I get down to the hard work.
> 
> Alright, on with this epic chapter! ENJOY!
> 
> P.S.: Yes, I am aware it's not actually Independence Day anymore; I'm aware I missed the mark. Please don't ruin it for me, you guys.
> 
> P.P.S.: Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

Django tapped his foot impatiently as the elevator containing him and his allies continued to ascend towards the DEI penthouse. For too long he had made mistakes that allowed the Red Triangle to succeed in their evil schemes, and now, this was the perfect time for him to make things right, to undo his unintentional wrongs. He didn't know what exactly was waiting there at the laboratory that belonged to one of his comrades, but he knew there something useful that could use some destroying.

The elevator finally jerked slightly to a stop, and the doors slid open to reveal the Red Triangle's secret resistance: Bloodpudding, Diminuitive, Blair, and Tancien.

"L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N.!" cried Doofenshmirtz, stepping out of the elevator along with the rest and high-fiving Bloodpudding, while Tancien spotted Doofenshmirtz-2.

"Did I bump my head earlier," noted the elderly scientist, "or am I really seeing _double_?"

"What you're seeing is genuine, Tancien," Doofenshmirtz replied, "but there's no time to explain!"

"What's waiting for us over there?" Django asked.

"The only important-looking thing," replied Diminuitive, "is a weapon that was made yesterday, which is the Red Triangle's secret weapon, the Armageddon-Inator, capable of destroying many cities simultaneously, and they plan on using it on the Freedom Fighters if the Red Triangle troops are being overwhelmed. Unfortunately, that's happening right now. Anyway, the Armageddon-Inator can only be shut down manually, and it's not that easy to do so. You need to type down a password, which we don't know."

"Why not just rewire the computer or something?" asked Baljeet-2.

"It's armed with a defensive mechanism," Tancien replied. "Doing anything with it will cause it to encase itself in a shell of unbreakable armor of the future Phineas's design, before any damage can be done. The only way to do something about that device is to pretend you're a Red Triangle troop and operate the computer manually, which is easy, because the Inator will allow anyone to operate its keyboard. And by guessing that password correctly will the Armageddon-Inator be disabled and the only way to reactivate it will be through manual means."

"That's it?" asked Django. "No Inator that can turn Phineas good?"

"I thought Doofenshmirtz already invented a Turn-Everything-Good-Inator for the purpose of turning Phineas back to his normal state?"

"Phineas is clever," Beppo replied. "He'll find a way to disarm his enemy before he can pull the trigger on that Inator."

"Guys," interjected Doofenshmirtz-2, "I don't mean to be a bother, but _what is that_?"

Everyone turned around and saw, with a shock, a lone Doof Clone approach them. But it was no ordinary Doof Clone. It had Doofenshmirtz's physicality, like any other Doof Clone, but it also looked like a wounded Terminator warrior: parts of its skin were torn away to reveal the machinery underneath, and its left eye was flashing a bright, menacing red. It was seven feet tall, and slightly muscular; both of its hands were holding futuristic machine guns. The overall sight of this new Doof Clone was terrifying.

The Doof Cyborg aimed one of its firearms at the group, but Beppo was able to kick a door into one of the apartment rooms open, and everyone safely dove into the room before the robot began firing its weapon, riddling the elevator doors with bullets. Ignoring the room's shrieking residents, Django closed the door, while Doofenshmirtz opened another door into the neighboring room and escorted his comrades inside. The group then proceeded to run from room to room, with the Doof Cyborg in pursuit, and after five rooms, the group burst into Doofenshmirtz's laboratory.

Bulkare, who was pacing around in the middle of the room, turned around and spotted the newest arrivals.

"What?" he exclaimed, staring at Bloodpudding, Diminuitive, Blair, and Tancien with shock. "What're you guys doing, standing by Doofenshmirtz's side?"

"We couldn't handle all of the evil Phineas has," replied Bloodpudding, "so we decided to go rogue on the Red Triangle!"

"Then you're our enemy too!" Bulkare snarled. The large scientist snapped his fingers, and a portal opened. Several of Emperor Phineas's troops, humans and creatures alike, jumped out of the portal, and Bulkare then pointed at the intruders. **"ATTACK!"**

The troops nodded obediently and charged, battle cries echoing into the room's atmosphere.

"Alright," said Bloodpudding, "me, Doofenshmirtz, his lookalike-"

"I have a name too, ya know!" Doofenshmirtz-2 snarled, but Bloodpudding ignored him.

"-Diminuitive, Blair, and Tancien will handle these guys. The rest of you, go operate that Armageddon-Inator!" He then pointed at a device that looked similar to Doofenshmirtz's Melt-Inator 6-5000-Inator, only without the comical magnifying glass and with more barrels, along with a small computer screen installed on it.

"Protect Vanessa, Charlene, will ya?" pleaded Doofenshmirtz, to which Charlene nodded. Watching his ex-wife and Beppo escort the children to the computer Bloodpudding pointed out, the scientist then joined his comrades as they faced down the forces that ran towards them.

"Let's dance, ya losers!" Doofenshmirtz roared as he engaged an alien in combat.

* * *

Meanwhile, Django was the first to reach the Armageddon-Inator; he attempted to operate it, but he immediately stopped when the model proved to be too complex for him. Clearing his throat, Baljeet-2 stepped forward and began typing away on the keyboard at fast speeds. Everyone watched, impressed, as the young genius immediately deactivated the Inator's power in three minutes, and all there was left to do was to type down the password to finalize everything.

"Wow," Vanessa said. "You're really fast there."

"They don't call me Dr. Baljeet for nothing," replied Baljeet-2 proudly. "Now all we need to do is type down that password."

"No, all you need to do is GO DOWN!"

Bulkare was stalking towards them, a stun gun in his hand. Beppo immediately rushed forward and pulled Bulkare's hand, the one holding the stun gun, away from the others; a laser went flying as the scientist fired his weapon in a different direction. Both men then began wrestling for dominant control over the stun gun, and Beppo looked at the others.

"I'll hold him off!" he cried. "You guys try and guess that password!"

"But Dad-!" exclaimed Django, but Beppo cut him off.

"It's okay, son! I'll be fine! Just make things right!"

Gulping, Django reluctantly nodded, then he faced the keyboard and began thinking, as did the rest. Django knew that they weren't dealing with the real Phineas, so anything associated with him wouldn't suffice as a password. However, he only knew the evil Phineas for a week, and the best information he acquired about him didn't seem helpful. Remembering that in the cartoons he watched the villains inadvertently give something away that leads to their cliched defeat, Django assumed that Phineas would do the same, and began thinking about what Phineas said to him that would be a password.

_"Prepare yourselves, everyone! For you've met the new me, and you shall witness my ascendancy into power as I conquer the world and enslave everyone you know! AHAHAHAHAHA!"_

Django immediately typed in 'Conquer' on the computer and pressed the 'Enter' button.

_**"Access denied,"**_ a voice replied.

"Aw, nuts," mumbled Django. A light bulb practically went off in his head, and he typed down 'Power', then pressing the enter button.

_**"Access denied,"**_ the computer replied again.

Django typed down 'Ascendancy' and pressed the enter button.

_ **"Access denied."** _

"You know," said Baljeet-2, "I think I can hack into the computer and-"

"No!" said Charlene. "This computer has a defensive mechanism; it'll shut itself away from us if you try hacking into it or something!"

"Oh, that's right."

Meanwhile, Vanessa was also thinking what Phineas might've given away.

_"OH, MAN! NOW _THAT'S_ PURE EVIL, DOOFENSHMIRTZ! YOU DON'T HELP OUT YOUR FAMILY! AHAHAHAHAHA!"_

The remembrance of that statement seemed to impale her heart, but Vanessa still smiled, having found a possible giveaway. Typing down 'Evil', she then pressed the enter button, only for her smile to curl into a frown upon hearing the computer's mechanized reply.

_ **"Access denied."** _

Django sighed, knowing that guessing the password would be very hard. He concentrated himself again.

_"And I owe it all to Django here! For my Doomsday device managed to throw a little Platypus-Track-Inator on the back of his shirt!"_

Clenching his fists in anger upon remembering that particular statement, Django then calmed down before typing down 'Doomsday'. He then pressed the enter button.

_ **"Access denied."** _

Django immediately kicked the floor in anger, and Adyson placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Calm down, Django!" she said.

"Calm down?" repeated Django angrily. "We're going nowhere! Things would've been better if there was some sort of Inator that would turn Phineas back to his normal state again, but no! We have to do things the hard way and guess a password that will allow us to shut down a device that might be activated at any moment!"

"Just believe in hope, Django."

Django's eyes softened as he looked at the Fireside Girl. "Addie, I appreciate the whole hope thing, but for once, it doesn't seem to get us anywhere right now. No offense."

"Hope will come when you least expect it, Django. I promise. For now, let's keep trying. What else would've Phineas given away that could help?"

Sighing in annoyance, Django began thinking back again. He didn't know what else Phineas said that contained any useful words. Suddenly, he remembered something: the evil Phineas was clever. Maybe even clever enough to not give anything away whenever he spoke to them. He probably thought over what he had to say before actually saying it. There was something else: the evil Phineas was also selfish. The password would definitely be something related to him and him only. And a new guess flashed in his mind.

Django typed down 'Phineas' and pressed the enter button.

_ **"Access denied."** _

Django calmly typed down 'Flynn' and pressed the enter button. Again:

_ **"Access denied."** _

"Wait a minute, Django!" Vanessa exclaimed. "Those are facts pertaining to the old Phineas, the one we know. We need to think of the evil Phineas. What kind of personal fact would pertain to this Phineas?"

"I don't know!" cried Django. "He kept calling himself Phineas, so I thought it would work!"

"Maybe this might help!" Baljeet-2 cried, typing down something.

_ **"Access denied."** _

"What did you type?" asked Charlene.

"Phineas."

"_I_ already typed that!" cried Django.

"You did? ...Oh, no..."

Django began scratching his scalp in anger. "This is not _working_! We need to think of something _really_ good, otherwise all of this is pointless! Who knows when Phineas will decide to activate it?"

"How're we supposed to guess that password when we don't know much about him?"

"Why're you asking me that? You have a doctorate!"

"I'm not perfect, you know!"

"Guys!" Adyson said, stepping between Django and Baljeet-2. "Let's not fight! We need to work together! Everyone, think! What password would Phineas, this new Phineas, use?"

"HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO KNOW, ADYSON?" screeched Django. "THE ONLY ONE WHO KNOWS IS PHINEAS! AND DO YOU THINK HE'LL _TELL_ US WHAT IT IS? NO! WHY? BECAUSE HE'S EVIL, AND **IT'S ALL MY FAULT!**"

In white-hot anger, Django then slammed the keyboard twice with his fists before Adyson can try and stop him. The first slam typed down random words, while the second slam pressed a strange green button. The computer's voice echoed out of the Inator.

_ **"Armageddon-Inator activated. One minute till destruction ensues."** _

* * *

Ferb groaned in pain, his back aching after being slammed against the wall of the Flynn-Fletcher house. The rain continued to add weight to his clothes, making movement difficult; Phineas was not experiencing such difficulties as his jumpsuit was tightly strapped to his body, never loose. The green-haired boy stood up, just as Perry jumped into the air and tried to land a punch on his owner, but the inventor grabbed the platypus's fist and, with a fake yawn, threw him with all of his might through the window into Candace's bedroom, sending shards of glass flying in all directions.

Ferb gasped, then tried to charge for Phineas, but the pain assaulting his back overwhelmed his legs, and he fell to the muddy ground painfully. Lightning flashed as Phineas approached his fallen stepbrother, a smile forming on his face, his green eyes burning with triumph and anticipation of the impending victory.

"So, how's killing me, Fletcher?" he asked. "Harder than expected, eh?" Phineas then raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "I can't believe you actually have the guts to do so. After all, you're ten, and you're already thinking about fratricide? Not the best thing to think about for an average ten-year-old. Then again, you're no average ten-year-old." He grabbed the collar of Ferb's shirt and lifted his brother so their eyes can face each other. "_We're_ no average ten-year-olds.

"But, the world can do fine with just one extraordinary kid as their leader." Phineas aimed the Death Ray gun he managed to pick up at Ferb's stomach. "Goodbye, Ferb Fletcher."

"STOP, PHINEAS!"

Phineas turned and spotted Candace, Linda, Lawrence, Isabella, Baljeet, and Buford in the backyard, all soaked by the falling rain. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled again as Phineas cackled at the newest arrivals.

"Well, well, well," he taunted, "the cavalry has arrived! Ya know, you can't shoot me with those Turn-Everything-Good-Inators, for the rain can short-circuit them."

"We found that out," replied Linda. "But we still have our ways of stopping you. And we _will_ stop you and turn you back to normal, Phineas."

"Oh, yeah? You and what army?"

"This one!" Candace replied.

At that point, many people flooded into view: the Danville civilians, all manning Phineas and Ferb's inventions or Doofenshmirtz's Inators; the Resistance, led by Isabella-2; the O.W.C.A., Danville and Seattle divisions alike; the British Spy Union agents, including Agent Double 0-0; Professor Poofenplotz and her inventions; the _Space Adventure_ and _Stumbleberry Finkbat_ fanatics; Meap and his Intergalactic Security Agency colleagues; the Martians, all grouped up into one large Martian still; Thaddeus, Thor, Mandy, and all of their friends; Buck Buckerson and his monster truck-driving friends; and all of the creatures that resided in every dimension in the multiverse. And, last but not least, were the Freedom Fighters, all present except for Future Isabella, Future Gretchen, and Future Adyson. Ferb smiled, while Phineas gasped in angered shock.

"What?" Phineas exclaimed. "I thought you were all busy handling my troops!"

"We defeated them all with ease," replied Buford. "It was a piece of cake."

"I think you should've trained them more, if I say so myself," Baljeet commented.

Phineas growled, but then, his expression of anger turned into that of evil happiness. He procured a walkie-talkie and pressed a button.

"Well then, if my troops are all down and out for the count, then I can just tell my ally back at DEI to send in more-"

The walkie-talkie suddenly began emitting sparks, and it exploded in Phineas's hand.

"WHAT THE-?" Phineas began, but he stopped when he saw Irving and Albert both manning one of Doofenshmirtz's Inators, the Walkie-Talkie-Destroy-Inator, and the inventor growled in fury. Meanwhile, Lawrence approached Ferb and helped him on his feet, while Perry emerged from Candace's bedroom's window, uninjured.

"I think you should give up now, Phineas," Ferb said boldly, "because you're now outnumbered."

Phineas growled again. Suddenly, a beeping pierced the air, and the inventor procured a remote from his pocket. Looking at it, the boy then smiled and faced his opponents.

"HA!" he cried triumphantly. "I don't know what happened, but my latest invention has just been activated!"

"Latest invention?" repeated Candace.

"My Armageddon-Inator! As you can tell, one of my L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. scientists designed it. Anyway, it's a contraption that'll cause mayhem and destruction everywhere! I was planning on activating it to take you all out in case my troops were being defeated, and since it's happening right now, then I suppose that it's an appropriate time for it to happen! PREPARE YOURSELVES, EVERYONE, FOR DESTRUCTION! AND WALLOW IN YOUR DESPAIR, BECAUSE **I WIN**!"

* * *

"Oh, GREAT!" Baljeet-2 cried, pointing at Django accusingly. "**Now** you've done it!"

Django ignored him, instead looking at the countdown sequence in shock. He couldn't believe that he had done something foolish again. Destruction and defeat was now a minute away, and it was all his fault. His fault! And he or the others haven't gone anywhere significant in thinking of a good guess for the password yet!

"No..." mumbled Django sadly. "No, this can't be happening. It can't..."

_59...58...57..._

"We've gotta guess the password really quick if we're gonna shut this thing down!" exclaimed Charlene.

"But we don't know what that password is, Mom!" Vanessa replied. "We've been trying, but it's getting us nowhere!"

_56...55...54..._

"We _have_ to keep trying!" cried Django. "We just HAVE to! We can't destroy Danville!"

"I think we just did!" Baljeet-2 replied angrily, waving his hands in the air. "We still haven't thought of the perfect password, the Armageddon-Inator's been activated, this town's about to be destroyed in less than a minute- I think it's hopeless, everyone."

_53...52...51..._

"Let's just destroy this thing!" Vanessa suggested.

"But it's gonna encase itself in a shell of armor if we do that!" replied Adyson. "Don't worry, everyone, we still have 51 seconds left till we guess the perfect password!"

_50...49...48..._

"Make that 48..."

Adyson watched as Django slumped against the Armageddon-Inator, his face buried in his palms. He was sniffling, trying to hold back tears.

"So much for believing in hope..." said Django sadly.

_47...46...45..._

Adyson knelt beside Django. "It's never too late, Django!" she said courageously. "Come on, we can get that password!"

"But we've got nothing, Addie! We don't know much about the evil Phineas and what kind of things he'd use as a password! It's hopeless! Death is 45 seconds away for everyone, maybe except for the Red Triangle, and it's all my fault! Again, again, and again I have to do something wrong and cause misfortune for us all! I never should've sent Phineas to the park! I should've sent him somewhere else! Why? Why, oh why, oh _why_ didn't I?"

_44...43...42..._

"Maybe fate caused you to tell Phineas to go there," replied Adyson.

"So, I'm fated to destroy Danville and give Phineas the pathway he needs to conquer the universe?" Django emitted a short laugh. "That's just lovely!"

_41...40...39..._

"Wait a minute!" exclaimed Baljeet-2. "I think I have the perfect password in mind!"

He typed down something and pressed the enter button.

_ **"Access denied."** _

"Never mind..."

_38...37...36..._

"What'd you type down, Baljeet?" asked Adyson.

"'Armageddon'," replied Baljeet. "I thought it would work!"

"Well, it clearly didn't!" berated Django. He then sighed. "At least it was a fun summer..."

_35...34...33..._

"No!" Adyson grabbed Django by the shoulders and turned him towards her. "You can't lost hope now! Stay strong, Django! Come on! What kind of password would the evil Phineas use?"

**"I. DON'T. KNOW!"** screeched Django, causing Adyson to gasp.

_32...31...30..._

However, Django didn't care if Adyson was scared. All he was concerned about is why he kept ruining things for everyone. He didn't know why everything kept happening to him, why it couldn't happen to someone else. But no! He had to be the one to send Phineas to the park to get zapped by Doofenshmirtz's Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator and become the most malevolent villain ever. And time and time again did he do something to allow Phineas to come to power, and now, Danville was facing destruction because of another of his foolish actions.

He tried believing in hope, like Adyson suggested, he tried believing in it, hoping that things would turn out better. But in the end, it all just became worse.

_29...28...27..._

"Django," said Adyson, "I know you're angry right now-"

"Angry?" Django asked furiously. "_Angry_? No, I'm more than angry. I'm...I'm...I don't know a tougher word for angry, but I'm REALLY angry!"

"Don't be angry, Django..."

"And why not? I've doomed all of the universe one step at a time. And you believe I was _fated_ to do that?"

_26...25...24..._

"No, I think the outcome of this was supposed to be different."

"Well, apparently there's no other outcome! It's just this: death, the destruction of Danville, the victory of the Red Triangle!"

"No one's won yet."

"Phineas has practically won, Adyson. I know it."

_23...22...21..._

"He DIDN'T win. We only have 21 seconds till he really does. And we can take advantage of the time we have left! All we have to do is guess that password!"

Django scoffed. "Well, do _you_ have any good guesses?"

Adyson was able to answer when she fell silent. Finally, she replied, "No."

_20...19...18..._

"Anyone else?" Django asked, looking at Baljeet-2, Vanessa, and Charlene. They all bowed their heads in shame. "I thought so..."

Django looked out of the balcony, amidst all of the battling; the storm clouds still haven't gone away. It was just terrific. He was about to die in 18 seconds, and he can't even see the sun one last time. A tear slid from Django's eye.

"We're all gonna die," he said, "and I can't even see the beauty of the sun one last time..."

_17...16...15..._

Suddenly, Django smiled, and he turned his head to his side. His eyes fell upon Adyson, and the smile was still present on his face. Adyson looked back, confused at Django's newest emotion at first, but then, she finally understood what he was doing.

"Django..." she said softly. "...Are you-"

"Yes, Addie," Django interrupted. "I had been so lost in grief over turning Phineas evil, unintentionally so. Everyone blamed me for it, and you were the only one who showed pity for me. You comforted me when we were in those cells; you told me what to believe in when I was in the hardest of times. And though believing in hope might no longer work for me, I still have something to go to for comfort, in the face of death. You."

_14...13...12..._

Django placed his hand on Adyson's. "Addie, we barely knew each other, even though we went to the same schools together. But ever since you talked to me in that cell, it feels like I've known you for my whole life now. And I have realized something new, discovered a new emotion, now that I have become friends with you: love."

_11...10...9..._

"Django..." replied Adyson, smiling. Django's smile became even more pronounced.

"I know we're too young to understand love yet, and we never will, but I wanna say this before we leave. I love you, Adyson Sweetwater."

Adyson's lip trembled, and tears of happiness slid from her eyes.

"I love you too, Django Brown."

"Aw..." Charlene and Vanessa said simultaneously.

_...8..._

Suddenly, a new thought raced across Django's mind...

_"I've named the Red Triangle's objective to conquer the world 'Operation: Brown'. It's a little thank-you for your contributions for making all of this happen!"_

_...7..._

"Addie!" exclaimed Django. "That's IT!"

"What's it?"

_...6..._

"The password! You gave it to me!"

"I did?"

"No time for explanations!"

_...5..._

Django stood up and ran up to the keyboard, about to type down 'Brown' on the keyboard, when Bulkare's enraged "NO!" pierced the air. The brown-haired boy turned around to see Bulkare charging for the group, having brought Beppo to the floor. However, Beppo quickly recovered and tackled the large scientist, followed by Adyson, Vanessa, Charlene, and Baljeet-2.

"DO IT, DJANGO!" cried Vanessa. "WE'LL HANDLE THIS GUY!"

"Oh, no you don't!" snarled Bulkare, managing to aim his stun gun at Django and firing a laser at him.

_...4..._

The laser hit the brown-haired boy squarely in the back. Beppo and Adyson both gasped as Django fell to the floor, cringing from the incapacitating pain.

"DJANGO!" Adyson screamed.

_...3..._

Django groaned in pain, then looked up at Adyson, who smiled encouragingly at him. Unfortunately, this distracted the Fireside Girl, and Bulkare, knocking away the others, grabbed Adyson angrily. Django's eyes widened, and a newfound energy aided him in standing up, with difficulty so, and face the keyboard. Looking back at Adyson, who was struggling in Bulkare's grip as he prepared to stun her, he narrowed his eyes angrily and typed down the word 'Brown', resisting the effects of the stun laser.

_...2..._

"Not. This. Time!" roared Django.

_...1..._

He pressed the enter button...

_**"Access allowed,"**_ the computer replied. _**"Armageddon-Inator shutting down."**_

Everyone in the room heard the Inator power down, and Doofenshmirtz, Doofenshmirtz-2, Bloodpudding, Diminuitive, Blair, and Tancien let out cheers of joy, while their opponents lay on the floor. Bulkare screamed in defeat, and Adyson seized her chance to escape the large scientist's grasp and embrace a weak Django.

"Django!" the Fireside Girl cried. "Are you okay?"

Django smiled. "Never been better," he replied.

**"NO!"** shrieked Bulkare, examining his Death Ray gun. "This can't be HAPPENING!"

"Three words: It. Just. Did," Django said boldly, and Bulkare's eyes narrowed into angered slits.

"This day's not goin' so well..." the scientist snarled. He then tried making a run towards the balcony, but Doofenshmirtz ran up to a lever and pulled it down; a set of robotic arms abruptly emerged from the walls and caught Bulkare with ease. The large scientist tried breaking free, but the Pizzazium Infinionite powering the trap strengthened it, making escape for Bulkare impossible.

"OH, DARN!" screeched Bulkare as Django, Adyson, and their group all let out cheers of victory.

"YEAH!" Django yelled to the heavens. "WE WIN!"

"Yeah, for only half a minute."

Sid had arrived in the laboratory, the Doof Cyborg, the motorcyclist, the Morn Duo, a Melee-Class Alpha Sub-Class Robot, and a man flanking his sides. Django, Beppo, Adyson, and the Doofenshmirtzes all gasped upon seeing the arrivals' captives: Mrs. Brown, the Sweetwaters, Norm, and the Norm Bot. Sid smiled triumphantly.

"Where's your victory now?"

* * *

It had only been a minute after the news of the Armageddon-Inator's activation broke out when Phineas's remote began beeping again. Looking at it, Phineas frowned with disappointment, putting the remote back in his pocket and looking up at his opponents.

"Okay, change of news," he said, "my Armageddon-Inator has now been shut down. You were all lucky there, but I'm afraid that that luck's only brief, and it's just run out!"

"Are you _blind_, Dinner Bell?" groaned Buford. "We outnumber you a hundred to one!"

"Maybe _this_ evens things up, Van Stomm," replied Phineas before he snapped his fingers.

The ground surrounding the Flynn-Fletcher backyard exploded, sending the Freedom Fighter troops flying. Phineas's Doomsday machine emerged from underneath the ground, its arms knocking aside anyone that tried attacking it. Manning it were Emperor Phineas and Helmetair, both wearing faces of determination. Throwing one last smirk at Ferb, Phineas then jumped onto one of the arms and ran up onto the machine's dome-shaped body, cackling with triumph as he did so.

However, Ferb wasn't about to let Phineas escape so easily. He jumped onto the same arm and followed Phineas up, while Perry, Candace, Isabella, Baljeet, Buford, Monogram, Carl, Pinky, the Fireside Girls (except for Adyson, of course), Jeremy, Stacy, and Coltrane all jumped onto their own. Climbing the arms proved to be difficult for them, as the rain made the metal slippery, but eventually, they all jumped on the top of the machine, where Phineas, his future self, and Helmetair were stationed, and procured their weapons, ready for the fight. The three villains cackled.

"How heroic," commented Emperor Phineas, "but heavily _foolish_. Men, get them!"

Several of the emperor's troops appeared and engaged Ferb and the others in combat. Jeremy, Coltrane, and Stacy all collaborated in fighting a large, three-headed, crab-like alien. Isabella led the Fireside Girls against a trio of robots, definitely not of Red Triangle Robot design, but just as lethal. Baljeet and Buford both fought an insect-like creature that had the ability to teleport. Monogram, Carl, and Pinky teamed up to battle a larger-than-average man who seemed to be his own weapon, as he used his physique against them. Candace squared off against Helmetair. Perry attacked Emperor Phineas, using all of his O.W.C.A. training against him. And Ferb, once again, faced Phineas.

"You're so persistent, Fletcher," growled Phineas, aiming his Death Ray gun. "It's about time I put an end to this once and for all!"

Phineas fired two lasers, but Ferb dodged the both of them before procuring a magnet given to him by Baljeet-2, which he activated and used to disarm Phineas of his weapon. Throwing the contraption out of the Doomsday machine, Ferb then used Thaddeus's high-power flashlight to incapacitate his brother before landing a kick on his stomach, sending him to the ground. He then charged for the vulnerable keyboard, hoping to do something to deactivate the Doomsday machine, but he was suddenly tackled to the wet metallic floor, and saw that Phineas had recovered quickly, although he was still squinting. A bolt of lightning streaked across the clouds.

"I've had enough of this meddling!" he snarled. "I will not stall any longer! I shall KILL you, Fletcher!"

He then raised the sword that belonged to Emperor Phineas, and another bolt of lightning flashed, illuminating the weapon, accompanied by the rumbling of thunder. Ferb's eyes widened, and he braced himself for death...

Suddenly, two newcomers landed in the middle of the scene: the future versions of Isabella and Gretchen, the latter wearing a jetpack. Both were soaked from the rain, but the two women were too preoccupied with the current situation to care. The battling ceased as everyone looked at the newest arrivals, and Emperor Phineas's eyes widened with anger at the sight of Future Isabella.

"You!" he cried, pointing at the woman. "I thought you fell to your death!"

"I saved her," replied Future Gretchen. She then took out a Freedom Fighters-made weapon and fired a laser at the sword Phineas was holding; the weapon crumbled into ash, and Phineas roared out in anger.

"**NO!** EVERY TIME I'M ABOUT TO KILL FLETCHER, I'M THWARTED! WHY MUST THIS KEEP HAPPENING?"

Ferb kicked Phineas in the stomach, and the inventor stumbled away from the green-haired boy, allowing him to stand up, while Future Isabella and Future Gretchen downed the other Red Triangle troops, including Emperor Phineas, throwing them all off of the Doomsday machine, leaving Phineas as the only opponent of concern.

"Because you don't have one thing," Ferb replied, "one thing that Phineas has."

"And what would that be, Fletcher?" snarled Phineas, clutching his stomach in pain.

Ferb smiled. "Optimism. Optimism is what helped Phineas through every situation he was caught in."

"HA! Even optimism couldn't help Phineas during the loss of his worthless father!"

"Sure, it didn't, but it can now. Phineas, stay strong. I know you're inside there; I know you have the capability to fight back."

Phineas cackled before saying, "How many times do I have to tell you, Fletcher? Phineas doesn't need you anymore! Phineas is living the perfect life in the world I created for him!"

Ferb didn't know how to respond to that. If Phineas was indeed having a great time in that world, then all hope was lost. There would be no more Phineas to invent with, no more Phineas to wake up with, no more Phineas to dote on Perry with during the morning...

Ferb suddenly smiled and then began to sing.

_We consider every day a plus  
__To spend it with a platypus.  
__We're always so ecstatic  
__'Cause he's semi-aquatic.  
__Our _Ornithorhynchus anatinus  
_Brings smiles to the both of us.  
__Life's never fuddie-duddy  
__With our web-footed buddy._

_When we're brushing our teeth, ooh it's better.  
_ _Tying our shoes, oh yeah it's better.  
_ _Combing our hair, it's better  
_ _Like we're a cheese sandwich and he's the cheddar.  
_ _Blinking our eyes, oh yeah it's better.  
_ _Breathing in and out, it's so much better.  
_ _Sitting in a chair, it's better.  
_ _And taking a bath, just a little bit wetter._

_Every day is such a dream  
_ _When you start it with a monotreme.  
_ _He's duckbilled and he's beaver-tailed and hairy.  
_ _(You know that he's hairy!)_

_Everything's better with Perry  
_ _(Everything's better with Perry)  
_ _Everything's better with Perry  
_ _(Everything's better with Perry)  
_ _Everything is better with Perry  
_ _(Everything is better)  
_ _(Everything's better with Perry)  
_ _(Everything is better with Perry)  
_ _Everything's better and we  
_ _Just wanna tell you Perry  
_ _Everything's better with you  
_ _(Better with you!)_

Ferb stopped singing and looked at Phineas. "We would sometimes sing this song whenever we wake up during the morning," he said. "Whenever Perry greets us every morning. Do you remember, Phineas?"

Phineas just stared on before bursting into fits of laughter. "AHAHAHAHAHA! Do you _really_ think that a song can defeat me? Well, think again! AHAHAHAHAHA!"

Suddenly, Isabella burst into song as well, and she was followed by the Fireside Girls.

_ **Isabella:** _ _ I'm just the curious girl 'cross the way  
_ _Every day I come over, and here's what I say_

_What'cha doin', what'cha doin'?  
_ _What's the day's activity?  
_ _What'cha doin', what'cha doin'?  
_ _By any chance, could it include me?_

_What'cha doin'? What'cha doin'?  
_ _ **Fireside Girls:** _ _ (What'cha doin'?)  
_ _ **Isabella and Fireside Girls:** _ _ I don't mean to disturb  
_ _ **Isabella:** _ _ What'cha doin', what'cha doin'?  
_ _ **Fireside Girls:** _ _ (What'cha doin'?)  
_ _ **Isabella and Fireside Girls:** _ _ You know it's not really directed at Ferb-_

They stopped singing for a moment and Isabella looked at Ferb, saying, "No offense, Ferb."

"No prob," the British boy replied, smiling, and the girls resumed their song.

_When I say-ay-ay-ay-ay  
_ _What'cha doin'?_

_ **Isabella:** _ _ Don't you know, Phineas, you have no idea  
_ _That every day I'm just dyin' to see ya?  
_ _And say..._

_ **Isabella:** _ _ What'cha doin', what'cha doin'?  
_ _ **Fireside Girls:** _ _ (What'cha doin'?)  
_ _ **Isabella and Fireside Girls:** _ _ I really wanna know  
_ _ **Isabella:** _ _ What'cha doin', what'cha doin'?  
_ _ **Fireside Girls:** _ _ (What'cha doin'?)  
_ _ **Isabella:** _ _ Can I be part of the show?  
_ _ **Isabella and Fireside Girls:** _ _ When I say-ay-ay-ay-ay  
_ _What'cha doin'?_

They stopped singing, and looked at Phineas. Unfortunately, he still had his green eyes, and the inventor smiled evilly.

"I don't know why you are singing," he said, "but it doesn't appear to be reaching any desirable effect. I congratulate you for whatever efforts you are attempting to pursue, but I'm afraid to tell you that your quest is coming to a short stop. Now, DIE!"

Phineas charged for Ferb and tried to kick him, but Ferb rolled out of the way, towards Candace and Jeremy, and Phineas instead kicked the railing of the Doomsday machine's top before slipping from the wet floor and falling onto his back in a comical fashion.

"What should we do?" asked Jeremy.

"We keep singing!" replied Ferb. "It's the only thing we need to do now!"

"Any suggestions?" Candace asked as Phineas stood up and closed in on them. Suddenly, Perry's eyes brightened and he wrote down something in his notebook. Ferb gasped with amazement.

"Great idea, Perry!" he said. "Everyone, prepare yourselves! We're singing this!" He showed the group Perry's idea, and they all smiled as Ferb began the song.

_ **Ferb:** _ _ Phinny, you know you are a boy's best friend,  
_ _You're more than just a passing trend,  
_ _You're like a treat from a candy store-_

"All of this singing is as annoying as much as it's ineffective!" snarled Phineas, but Ferb continued.

_Oh, Phinny, we love you more than ice cream cakes,  
_ _We love you more than bugs and snakes,  
_ _We love you more than all things mentioned before._

_Oh, Phinny, you're extraordinary,  
_ _You're kinda short and hairy,  
_ _The color of a strawberry,  
_ _ **Ferb, Isabella, and Future Isabella:** _ _ Yes, Phineas!_

* * *

Phineas, the real Phineas, watched from his cage as everyone continued to sing to him through the projection on the mist. He suddenly felt a new surge of power flowing into him, power that was engraved in the song's lyrics, as well as a heightened determination to fight back. Growling with all of his might, Phineas began pushing and pulling at the metal bars of his cage, all the while listening to the lyrics of the song.

* * *

"That's it!" snarled Phineas, trying to throw a punch at Jeremy but missing. "This is REALLY annoying!"

His only reply was the continuation of the song.

_ **All:** _ _ So come home Phinny,  
_ _Come home Phinny, come home_

Ferb noticed that Candace was the only one not singing and asked, "Hey Candace, why don't you sing one?"

"But..." began Candace, but she dodged a kick from Phineas and immediately began.

_ **Candace:** _ _ Um... Oh Phinny, I think it's kind of scary  
_ _I can't find you anywhere-y,  
_ _It fills me with despair-y?  
_

_Oh, Phinny! I'm allergic to dairy,  
_ _I'm gonna move to the prairie,  
_ _And change my name to Larry..._

"Larry?" asked Phineas in a snarl, evidently confused.

"I still can't think of good rhymes, okay?" Candace replied.

_ **All:** _ _ She'll change her name to Larry!  
_ _Larry!  
_ _ **Ferb:** _ _ Larry!_

_ **All:** _ _ So come home Phinny,  
_ _Come home Phinny, come home_

_So come home Phinny,  
_ _Come home Phinny, come home!_

_ **Ferb, Isabella, and Candace:** _ _ Come home Perry, come home!  
_ _ **Perry:** _ _ *chatters*_

Phineas growled angrily before swinging his fists at Ferb, Isabella, and Candace, but Future Isabella and Perry both shoved them all out of harm's way.

"Your singing sure knows how to get on my nerves!" roared Phineas. "Literally!" He suddenly clutched his head. "Because my head hurts a bit..."

Ferb gasped. "I think we're reaching to Phineas!"

* * *

Phineas was still trying to rip the cage open, and he was also using all of his might to stomp and scrape the cold ground hard with his foot.

"LET ME OUT, SHADOW!" screeched Phineas. **"NOW!"**

* * *

"We need to keep this up!" exclaimed Isabella. "We need to sing another song!"

"But which one?" Ginger asked. "I don't have anymore ideas."

Suddenly, Phineas-2 and Ferb-2 jumped into the fray, holding their stun guns. "We have an idea!" Phineas-2 said, and then burst into song.

_ **Phineas-2:** _ _ The days are longer,  
_ _The nights are shorter,  
_ _The sun is shining.  
_ _ **Ferb-2:** _ _ It's noticeably warmer._

_ **Phineas-2:** _ _ It's summer, every single moment is worth its weight in gold.  
_ _Summer, it's like the world's best story, and it's waiting to be told.  
_ _It's ice cream cones and cherry soda dripping down your chin.  
_ _It's summer, and where do we begin?_

_ **Phineas-2 and Ferb:** _ _ Summer is ponds and pools and garden hoses, trying to beat the heat.  
_ _Summer, bicycles and roller skates and even just bare feet.  
_ _It's also... Surfing tidal waves, creating nanobots,  
_ _Or locating Frankenstein's brain.  
_ _Finding a dodo bird, painting a continent,  
_ _Or driving our sister in..._

Ferb stopped and said, "We're going too fast again."

"And it's about time you stopped!" growled Phineas, and he tried to punch Ferb, but he was kicked back by Ferb-2 as Phineas-2 continued.

_ **Phineas-2:** _ _ Summer, it's crickets and cicadas and a glass of lemonade.  
_ _Summer, it's sitting with your brother in the backyard under the shade of a big tree.  
_ _That's what it means to me.  
_

_The days are longer,  
_ _ **Phineas-2, Ferb, Isabella, and Candace:** _ _ The nights are shorter,  
_ _The sun is shining.  
_ _ **Ferb and Ferb-2:** _ _ It's noticeably warmer._

_ **All:** _ _ It's summer, every single moment is worth its weight in gold.  
_ _Summer, it's like the world's best story, and it's waiting to be told.  
_ _It's ice cream cones and cherry soda dripping down your chin.  
_ _It's summer, and where do we begin?  
_ _ **Chorus:** _ _ Summer, and where do we begin?  
_ _ **All:** _ _ It's summer, man, where do we begin?_

Phineas growled, and then suddenly, he let out a long, drawn-out scream of pain as he clutched his head again. Ferb knew that Phineas was fighting back inside.

* * *

Phineas felt the sweat drip from his head as he continuously tried to pull and push at the cage bars; he even resorted to kicking them. Additionally, he kept on stomping and beating the ground. All in all, he was more like a wild animal, thrashing about, trying to break the cage bars and attacking the lifeless ground, growling and grunting furiously.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Phineas kicked at one of the cage bars with all of his might, and the bar broke away and was sent flying, a purple smoke trailing from its broken sides. It landed on the ground with a clatter, and Phineas noticed that it started to get windy, and the purple mist was moving slightly faster. With all of his might, Phineas kicked at one of the bars next to the one that had been broken, and was met with equal success as a second clatter reverberated through the atmosphere.

Moving out of the cage through the cavity he created, the inventor suddenly found himself caught in a strong wind. However, he was able to overcome it and picked up the two broken bars. Raising them, Phineas let out, **"I WANNA GO HOME, SHADOW! LET. ME. OUT!"**

And with that, he began beating the ground aimlessly with the bars.

* * *

Everyone watched as Phineas continued to scream in pain and agony, falling over onto the wet floor on his back. A bolt of lightning flashed, illuminating the scene with a disturbing light, and Ferb turned to the others.

"We have to sing another song!" he cried. "And I think I have another one!"

_ **Ferb:** _ _ Bow, chicka, bow-wow!  
_ _ **Candace:** _ _ That's what my baby says!  
_ _ **Ferb:** _ _ Mow-mow-mow!  
_ _ **Isabella:** _ _ And my heart starts pumping!  
_ _**Ferb:** _ _Chicka-chicka, choo wap!  
_ _ **Jeremy:** _ _ Never gonna stop!  
_ _**All:** _ _Gitchee gitchee goo means that I love you!_

_ **Ferb:** _ _ I said a bow, chicka, bow-wow!  
_ _ **Candace:** _ _ That's what my baby says!  
_ _ **Ferb:** _ _ Mow-mow-mow!  
_ _ **Isabella:** _ _ And my heart starts pumping!  
_ _ **Ferb:** _ _ Chicka-chicka, choo wap!  
_ _ **Jeremy:** _ _ Never gonna stop!  
_ _ **All:** _ _ Gitchee Gitchee Goo means that I love you!  
_

_Gitchee gitchee goo means that I love you!  
_ _Gitchee gitchee goo means...  
_ _That I love you baby, baby, baby!  
_ _ **Fireside Girls:** _ _ Baby-baby-baby-baby!  
_ _ **Ferb and Candace:** _ _ Gitchee gitchee goo means that I love you!_

Isabella smiled and leaned towards the straining Phineas, saying, "Gitchee gitchee goo, Phineas!"

* * *

The "Gitchee Gitchee Goo" song supplied more fuel for Phineas to attack the Shadow's world; the inventor continuously hit the ground, the cage, any object available to him in this world, even the mist. However, he stopped hitting the ground with the bars and looked at the projection, while Isabella looked back, almost through it. He had just heard Isabella's latest statement, and it seemed to intrigue him for a mysterious reason. However, when he stared into Isabella's deep blue eyes, Phineas realized that there was something about them that made his heart perform somersaults. And then, when he remembered the songs lyrics, he suddenly realized the meaning behind the girl's message.

_"Gitchee gitchee goo means that I love you!"_

And finally, Phineas remembered whom Isabella was kissing in his vague memory of the 2nd Dimension.

Smiling, Phineas said to himself, "Gitchee gitchee goo, Isabella." His face then hardened into a mask of rage. "SHADOW! LET ME OUT! I WANNA GET OUT OF HERE! I WANNA GO HOME! DO YOU HEAR ME, SHADOW? SHADOW? **SHADOW!**"

And with that, Phineas continued to hit the ground with his bars.

* * *

Everyone gasped as the evil Phineas screamed with pain, his hands clutching his head like a crazed inmate. The unsettling screaming traveled through the rain-filled air as lightning streaked across the cloudy sky and thunder rumbled. All of Danville might've as well heard it echo through the atmosphere.

"We're getting to the real Phineas!" cried Ferb. "Now! We need to sing a song, a really, _really_, REALLY good song!"

Future Isabella then remembered a memory, one of her most prized memories of the good Phineas. Smiling, she started singing in a sweet voice.

_ **Future Isabella:** _ _ It's been a long, long day  
_ _And there were moments when I doubted-_

Ferb and Isabella realized what song the latter's future self was singing and both joined in.

_ **Ferb:** _ _ That we'd ever reach the point  
_ _Where we could laugh and sing about it  
_ _ **Ferb, Isabella, and Future Isabella:** _ _ Now the sun is set on this,  
_ _Another extraordinary day  
_ _And when it comes around again  
_ _You know I'll say..._

_Tell me whatcha wanna do today  
_ _All we need is a place to start  
_ _If we have heart, we'll make it  
_ _'Cause we're not messing around  
_ _(We're not messing around)_

_Yes we can dream it, do it, build it, make it  
_ _I know we can really take it  
_ _To the limit before the sun goes down..._

_ **Ferb:** _ _ As soon as you wake up you gotta make your move  
_ _ **Isabella:** _ _ Don't miss the beat, just get into the groove  
_ _ **Ferb and Isabella:** _ _ The sun is shining, there's a lot that you can do  
_ _(A lot that you can do)_

_There's a world of possibilities outside your door  
_ _Why settle for a little? You can get much more  
_ _Don't need an invitation; every day is new  
_ _Yes, it's true..._

_Summer belongs to you! (Summer belongs to you)  
_ _Summer belongs to you! (Summer belongs to you)  
_ _Summer belongs to everyone, so have some fun  
_ _There's nothing better to do  
_ _Summer belongs to you!_

_ **Candace:** _ _ I've fought you for an entire week  
_ _And almost turned and ran away  
_ _But you helped me get my courage back  
_ _So now I've got to say_

_That though I've often thought of you  
_ _As just a nuisance and a bother  
_ _Today I can't imagine  
_ _Having better little brothers!_

_And you've gotta believe in something  
_ _So today I believed in you  
_ _And you're coming through; we're making it-_

Phineas said with some strain, "Oh, really? Well, think again!"

He tried to punch Candace, but she moved away and continued singing.

_-I've never been so proud..._

_I know at first it seemed implausible  
_ _But we accomplished the impossible  
_ _Now there's something that I've gotta say out loud..._

_Time is what you make of it, so take a chance  
_ _ **Ferb:** _ _ That's it!  
_ _ **Candace:** _ _ Life is full of music so you ought to dance  
_ _ **Isabella:** _ _ She's got it!  
_ _ **Candace:** _ _ The world's a stage and it is time for your return  
_ _ **Ferb:** _ _ By Jove, I think she's got it!_

"Oh no, she hasn't!" snarled Phineas in reply, and he tried to tackle Ferb to the floor, but he missed once again as everyone continued to sing. Phineas then spotted the keyboard, smiled evilly, and began operating it. Several of the Doomsday machine's arms lunged for the group, but they all dodged the attacks, singing all the while.

_ **Candace:** _ _ Don't waste a minute sitting in that mind  
_ _ **Ferb:** _ _ Yeah!  
_ _ **Candace:** _ _ The world is calling, so just get out there  
_ _ **Ferb:** _ _ That's what we're talking about!  
_ _ **Candace:** _ _ You can see forever, so your dreams are all in view..._

"And my dreams are to destroy you guys and establish a mighty empire!" roared Phineas, attempting to grab several of the group, only to be unsuccessful. Perry kicked Phineas in the face, sending him away from the keyboard.

_ **Ferb:** _ _ Yes it's true!  
_

_ **All:** _ _ Summer belongs to you (Summer belongs to you)  
_ _Summer belongs to you (Summer belongs to you)  
_ _Summer belongs to boys and girls all around the world_

"No, it belongs to ME!" screeched Phineas, trying to attack Perry, but his headaches distracted him, and he instead landed headfirst onto the floor. Screaming in pain and anger, Phineas lunged for Ferb, Candace, Isabella, and Future Isabella, but Perry manned the keyboard to grab Phineas with two of the arms and lifting him into the air so he won't make any further attacks.

_ **All:** _ _ We wouldn't say it if it wasn't true  
_ _Summer belongs to you (Summer belongs to you)_

_ **Ferb-2:** _ _ Baby, baby, baby, baby  
_ _ **All:** _ _ Summer belongs to you! (Summer belongs to you)  
_ _Summer belongs to you (Summer belongs to you)  
_ _Whatever you want to do, you make the rules  
_ _You've got the tools to see it through  
_ _Summer belongs to you (Summer belongs to you)  
_ _Summer belongs to you (Summer belongs to you)  
_ _Just remember that you can do it and when you're through  
_ _We'll change your point of view!  
_ _SUMMER BELONGS TO YOU!_

Phineas suddenly let out the loudest screech of pain ever, and it was so loud that Perry accidentally pressed a button releasing the arms' grip on the inventor while the platypus covered his ears from the earsplitting noise. Phineas landed painfully on the floor, and everyone watched as he curled up and kept rolling about on the wet surface, screaming and groaning in pain, the rain still falling, the lightning and thunder flashing and rumbling. The scene looked a bit disturbing.

And suddenly, Phineas stopped moving and abruptly opened his eyes. Everyone gasped at the sight of them.

For they were blue again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that marks the end of this emotionally-charged chapter! Man, I consider this chapter to be THE pinnacle of this fic. I do not even know how I came up with all these ideas on the fly and turned the chapter into something truly memorable. I mean, there was a lot of things that really escalated the situation to a new level! The suspense, the action, Django's redemption arc, and most of all, the montage of songs. The freaking SONGS!
> 
> The song montage was, without a doubt, the best part for me to write back when I was a teenager. I really pulled out all the stops here. I picked what I thought would be the most memorable and appropriate songs to give Phineas the power and motivation that he needed to resist the Shadow and bring him to a vulnerable state. Of course, I had to alter some of the lyrics to make the songs fit with the current situation, but other than that, I feel like my writing was on a different level here. Even to this day, I can easily imagine the show doing this sequence if our heroes ever had to face off against an evil version of one of the characters, especially Phineas. After all, this show is partially a musical, so of course singing has got to play a huge role in the climactic sequence.
> 
> Anyway, I think I'm rambling on about this. Long story short, this is my favorite chapter of the fic, period, and I do hope you guys agree! If not, well, no hard feelings. We've still got about a dozen chapters left, anyway.
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this very late chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	24. The Last Word, Part 5 of 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is the Shadow really gone?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! Welcome back to the fic! I hope I didn't keep you all waiting long enough. If you've been following my profile updates on FanFiction.Net, then you'll know I got myself into a tight pickle with a skin infection, but it's been mostly cleared out now. This gives me the time to refine this chapter that I've had lying around in my documents for some time.
> 
> Alright, on with the chapter! And trust me, this one is also a doozy like the previous one. ENJOY!
> 
> P.S.: Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

"PHINEAS!" cried Ferb, and he ran forward to embrace Phineas, followed by Perry, Candace, and Isabella, while the rest gasped. "Phineas, you're back!"

Phineas looked around, examining his surroundings as the rain fell, and smiled when he realized that he was back in his true reality. "Yes," he replied, "yes I am."

The atmosphere was immediately split open by a thunderous cheer of triumph and celebration, a cheer that was louder than the booming of thunder. Baljeet and Buford leaned over the railing to announce to everyone that their mission to cure Phineas had come to an end. The cheering became louder, and Emperor Phineas growled in defeat before attempting to crawl away, but he was stopped by Future Jeremy and Future Stacy, who tied him to the fallen backyard tree with Helmetair and his present troops. Linda and Lawrence boarded the Doomsday machine to hug their son, the both of them crying with happiness.

When the two Flynn-Fletcher parents parted with Phineas, Isabella seized her crush and embraced him in the tightest hug she ever gave him. She then parted and looked Phineas straight in the eyes; they were staring right back softly, and there was a loving smile on his face that made the girl blush. Before things can get more romantic, Phineas spotted Future Isabella.

"Is that-?" he asked, but Future Isabella already replied for him.

"Yes, I'm Isabella's future self. Me and several others come from a future where you've successfully established an empire, and we're here to prevent that from happening."

"And you've succeeded, right?"

"Yes." The black-haired woman looked at Future Gretchen, who smiled at her. "Yes we did."

"Then you guys should disappear, because the future you speak of never happens."

"That's right." Future Isabella smiled back at Future Gretchen before looking at Phineas and Isabella. "I guess this is it then."

Phineas and Isabella smiled at the latter's future self as she stepped beside Future Gretchen and held her hand; the two young women braced themselves for their erasing from existence, as did the other Freedom Fighters. However, a couple of minutes passed and nothing happened. Future Isabella examined her allies and Emperor Phineas, but saw that none of them had disappeared.

"What happened?" Future Gretchen asked. "We should be gone by now!"

Isabella charily looked at Phineas, whose mouth was open in shock. "Phineas?" she asked.

Phineas looked at her, and suddenly, his blue eyes turned green again. Everyone gasped with shock; Isabella's heart began pounding in her chest. However, Phineas merely closed his eyes for a second and then opened them, and the green faded away into the blue. His lower lip trembled as he spoke.

"He's still inside me..."

Future Gretchen grabbed Phineas and carried him off of the Doomsday machine, followed by the others.

"Phineas's evil is still inside him," she explained to everyone. "Phineas is controlling it, but it won't be long until it regains dominant control. We've gotta find something that'll get rid of his evil permanently!"

"_Or_ we can invent something," replied Professor Poofenplotz. "I think I can make something that'll resolve the situation-"

"NOT SO FAST!"

The Paper Pelican was flying slowly across the air, a Red Triangle insignia boldly displayed on its side. For some reason, the falling rain wasn't affecting the plane's paper exterior, and Ferb guessed that they managed to invent something that allowed the Paper Pelican to be resistant to water. The plane stopped in midair and a pair of rope ladders unfolded from its side, traveling towards the ground. Three figures slid down the two ladders: Sid, Bulkare, and the motorcyclist. The motorcyclist immediately cut the ropes restraining Emperor Phineas, Helmetair, and the emperor's troops, allowing them all to escape, while Bulkare grabbed Phineas's hand and dragged him away from Ferb and the others.

"FERB!" screamed Phineas, just before his eyes became green again, but the inventor managed to force the evil back into his mind.

"PHINEAS!" Ferb yelled.

"So, you managed to tone down our leader's evil, huh?" said Sid in a sinister voice. "Well, sorry to say this, but we're gonna change that! Sayonara! AHAHAHAHAHA!"

The Red Triangle troops all fled, climbing up the ladders as the Morn Duo pulled them up.

"WAIT!"

The Freedom Fighters turned around to see Rodney, Sharpeard, and Byron stumble into the yard.

"HEY, WAIT FOR US!" cried Rodney as he managed to grab one of the ascending ladders and climb it. Sharpeard and Byron were able to grab the other ladder as well.

His teeth clenched in anger, Ferb, determined to not let them do anything else to his brother, rushed forward, issuing a battle cry as he grabbed one of the ladders and began climbing it, followed by Perry, Candace, Isabella, Phineas-2, and Ferb-2. Everyone else tried to do the same, but both of the ladders had become too high for anyone's reach. Rodney noticed this and growled angrily.

"You can't stop your meddling, can't you kids?" he asked as he procured a stun gun and fired a laser at Ferb. The British boy was able to dodge the laser, but he accidentally released his grip on the rope and began to fall through the air. Candace, Isabella, Phineas-2, and even Ferb-2 screamed as Ferb plunged past them, but Perry managed to catch his owner with ease.

"You okay, Ferb?" Candace asked.

Ferb nodded, and the four resumed their climbing.

* * *

Phineas struggled against Bulkare's grip, but the large scientist proved to be too strong for him. All the while, his eyes became green a few times, but Phineas was able to force the evil back into his mind, though it began to get harder every round. Bulkare eventually boarded the Paper Pelican and threw Phineas next to a group of people, all tied securely with rope. The inventor gasped when he recognized the captives as Django and his group. A shadow suddenly enveloped Phineas, and he looked up to see a man towering over him.

This man had shaggy brown hair and cold blue eyes. He was wearing futuristic Red Triangle clothing. All parts of his exposed skin were marked with many scars, some old, others recent, and there was a small gash across his cheek that was coated with dry blood. But what caught Phineas's attention the most was the fact that the man was wearing sandals, unlike the rest of the Red Triangle members he had seen. Phineas gasped, knowing someone who would wear sandals rather than shoes.

"_Django_?" he asked, shocked. The man smirked.

"Hello, Phineas," replied Future Django. "Surprised I'm a member of the Red Triangle?"

"But...but _why_? I was thinking you'd be with those Freedom Fighters! Why are you with...me?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out, Phineas."

He snapped his fingers, and the Red Triangle Robot began marching towards a set of inventions stationed at the back of the plane. Amongst them were the Very-Very-Bad-Inator, the growth elixir, and the molecular separator. Phineas and the captives watched as the robot began pushing a contraption into the fray, and their eyes widened when they recognized it as none other than the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator.

"Now," Future Django said to his accomplices, "according to what happened, it appears that our leader is being overwhelmed by the good Phineas. If we zap him with the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator, maybe we'll increase his evil and allow it to fight back and win easily, and with that, our leader's back!"

"Good theory, Django," replied Emperor Phineas. "I'm so glad you're my advisor."

Future Django's reply was surprisingly cold and sarcastic and more to himself. "Yeah, right..."

Emperor Phineas didn't notice the reply and instead aimed the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator at Phineas, who screamed at the sight of it and tried to run, but the Morn Duo seized him and prevented any chance of escape.

"NO!" screamed Phineas. "NO, DON'T! PLEASE DON'T DO THIS, ME! I DON'T WANNA GO THROUGH ALL OF THIS AGAIN! PLEASE, STOP!"

"I'm afraid not, me," Emperor Phineas replied, smiling evilly, his green eyes alive with malice. "Don't worry, it's not gonna hurt. You should know that."

"NO! PHINEAS!" Django screeched.

Phineas screamed in terror and tried to struggle against his captors, but there was no use. He watched as the emperor, his future self, prepared the Inator, and a humming sound was heard as the contraption began to power up. The inventor struggled even more, tears of fright cascading from his eyes, but the robots' grips on him were firm. Django and the others either cried out to Phineas, to encourage him, or yelled at Emperor Phineas to stop, but their reply was a sadistic smirk.

Suddenly, Isabella appeared on the plane and kicked Emperor Phineas in the leg, causing him to fall over in pain, while Candace climbed aboard and shut down the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator. Phineas-2 and Ferb-2 attacked the Morn Duo, allowing Phineas to escape and hug a boarding Ferb. Perry also appeared and freed the others, just before the motorcyclist engaged him in combat.

Chaos ensued aboard the Paper Pelican. Perry continued to fight the motorcyclist, their fighting expertise equaled to one another. Phineas-2 and Ferb-2 still battled the Morn Duo, collaborating together against the two robots. Doofenshmirtz, Doofenshmirtz-2, Norm, and the Norm Bot fought Rodney and the Doof Cyborg. Candace resumed her fight with Helmetair that was begun on the Doomsday machine. Beppo once again squared off against Bulkare, but also fought Byron and Sharpeard. Bloodpudding, Diminuitive, Blair, and Tancien battled Emperor Phineas and his present troops.

Meanwhile, Phineas, Ferb, Isabella, Django, Adyson, Charlene, Vanessa, Baljeet-2, Mrs. Brown, and Mrs. Sweetwater were searching through the inventions, hoping to find something that would cure Phineas of his evil permanently.

"Any luck, guys?" asked Isabella as she encountered Bloodpudding's giant floating baby head.

"No," replied Ferb as he searched through one of Croachaye's old Inators.

"Nope," Adyson replied as she and Django came across the Platypult.

"Nada," Baljeet-2 called as he found Doofenshmirtz's All-Purpose-Inator.

"Zilch," replied Charlene as she tossed away one of Doofenshmirtz's toy balls. "How'd these balls get into the plane anyway? There's a bunch of 'em."

Suddenly, Phineas groaned and clutched his head in pain. Everyone looked at him in concern, and then gulped when Phineas opened his eyes, which were green again. The inventor closed his eyes, then opened them after a second, his method of fighting the Shadow, but when he opened them, they were still green, and he began to feel his brain being pulled back. He repeated his method again, this time with more dedication, and the green finally reverted back to its rightful blue.

"You okay, Phineas?" asked Isabella.

"It's...it's getting harder," Phineas replied.

"We've gotta hurry," said Ferb, "or Phineas's evil will eventually regain control. Hurry, people! Find something!"

"Oh, no you don't!"

Future Django and Sid were charging towards them. Future Django was armed with a sword, while Sid's robotic hand was in the form of a deadly hook. He slashed at Vanessa, but she ducked and the sword cut thin air. Vanessa then moved away as Future Django proceeded to attack Baljeet-2 next. The young doctorate procured a gun and pulled the trigger, firing a shockwave that sent Future Django's sword flying back and tearing through the Paper Pelican's paper wall.

The air immediately began rushing out, and the Paper Pelican began to collapse and deflate. Everyone screamed as the Paper Pelican plummeted towards the earth...

* * *

Everyone below watched with terror as the Paper Pelican began to descend towards downtown Danville. Linda gasped, remembering that all of her children were in the plane.

"Everyone!" she announced. "We've gotta get to downtown, quick!"

The Freedom Fighters all agreed and walked out of the Flynn-Fletcher backyard and towards downtown. Little did they know that Professor Poofenplotz had stayed behind at the residence, using parts of the abandoned and useless Doomsday machine to build an unknown invention.

* * *

The Paper Pelican crashed in the middle of a downtown street. Fortunately, the entire street had been abandoned several hours ago due to the war between the Red Triangle and the Freedom Fighters, so no one was caught in the middle of the disastrous crash-landing. The plane eventually came to a stop and then imploded. An hour had passed when the first person emerged from the large pile of glued papers: Ferb. Gasping for air, the British boy crawled himself out of the pile and rolled over on his back, the rain droplets pelting his body as a bolt of lightning flashed.

_"Man,"_ thought Ferb, _"this storm sure doesn't know how to stop."_

Standing up, Ferb spotted something emerge from the pile from a distance. The only thing he saw about this person was the shape of his head: a triangle. It was either Phineas or his 2nd Dimension counterpart. Trudging through the paper, the green-haired boy drew nearer and realized that it was his Phineas, as he wasn't wearing any Resistance clothing. It also appeared that something was on top of him. Gasping in concern, Ferb finally approached Phineas and saw that the molecular separator was on top of him.

"Phineas!" Ferb exclaimed. "Don't worry, let me help!"

Grabbing the molecular separator, Ferb lifted it and tossed it to the side. He then gasped: TWO Phineases were trapped under the invention. The second Phineas was definitely not Phineas-2, as he wasn't wearing any Resistance clothing either. In fact, both Phineases were wearing identical clothing. The second Phineas looked up at Ferb with his blue eyes and gasped.

"FERB!" he cried. "YOU FREED-"

Ferb looked at the first Phineas, and saw that his eyes were green.

"Cheese," said the Shadow as he punched Ferb in the face, sending him to the ground. The paper cushioned his fall, but the punch was enough to assault him with ferocious pain.

Ferb attempted to stand up, but the Shadow kicked him in the stomach, bringing him back down. He then picked up a piece of one of the Paper Pelican's metal support beams and raised it, preparing to strike Ferb in the head...

Phineas tackled the Shadow down to the paper pile, causing the villain to drop the metal rod, and began punching his face angrily. However, the Shadow managed to stop Phineas's attacks by tickling him in the ribs. The inventor laughed and fell off of the Shadow, to which he kicked Phineas while he was down. He then laughed maniacally.

"Ya know," he said, "I'd like to thank Fletcher here for telling me your physical weaknesses. Now, I've used them against you!"

Ferb picked up the metal rod and hit it across the Shadow's leg, and the villain yelled out in pain and clutched his leg; Ferb seized the chance to kick the Shadow to the ground. Phineas spotted one of the rope ladders and grabbed it, using the rope to tie the Shadow's arms and legs together as crude bonds. Phineas's evil doppelganger struggled against them, but it was useless.

"Well," said Ferb, "_that_ was easy."

"Yes, yes it was, wasn't it?" the Shadow replied. "Well, that's just too bad, cause I was just stalling."

Before Phineas or Ferb can reply to that, Emperor Phineas and his troops jumped out of nowhere, overwhelming the two boys and capturing them within seconds before the emperor freed his past self. Chuckling with triumph, the Shadow approached the Flynn-Fletcher brothers, his arms crossed, a smirk on his face.

"Got anything to say now, you two?" he asked. Phineas and Ferb just stared daggers at him, and he snickered devilishly. "Very well. Get rid of them!"

The soldiers holding Phineas and Ferb, respectively, nodded and aimed their Death Rays at the brothers' heads. However, before they can pull the triggers, Phineas looked over to the side, smiled, and spoke.

"Actually, I have something to say."

The Shadow turned around and replied, "And what's that?"

"I was just stalling too."

Instantly, three new people appeared on the scene: Perry, Candace, and Isabella. Perry took out a magnet that claimed the Death Ray guns, while Isabella activated Thaddeus's flashlight at the soldiers' faces, momentarily blinding them and allowing Phineas and Ferb to escape. Emperor Phineas tried to seize them, but Candace kicked him in the chest, causing him to topple onto the Shadow. Perry then battled the soldiers, and they proved to be no match for the platypus. A minute passed, and the troops were all on the ground, defeated.

"Good job, Perry!" cried Phineas. "Now let's go!"

The rest nodded and ran away from the scene.

Groaning, the Shadow pushed Emperor Phineas off of him and stood up, dusting himself when he spotted the fallen troops.

"You weaklings!" berated the Shadow, attracting the attention of every soldier. "You let them _defeat_ you? You MORONS! AFTER THEM! **NOW**!"

The troops obeyed and began their pursuit.

* * *

Django, Adyson, the Browns, and the Sweetwaters all backed up as Future Django, Sid, and the Red Triangle Robot closed in on them, their weapons ready. Adyson nearly tripped over, but her father managed to grab her hand and prevent her fall. Django was examining his future self the whole time.

"Surrender now," Sid said, "and we'll go easy on you guys. That sounds like a good deal. What do ya say?"

"We'll surrender," replied Mr. Sweetwater, "if you let our kids be."

"No deal." Sid was about to shoot Mr. Sweetwater in the leg to incapacitate him when a woman flew into the fray, outfitted with a jetpack, and punched the bomber. When the woman landed in front of the two families, Django and Adyson saw that it was the latter's future self as she put on a fighting stance.

"Well, well, well," said Future Django, "hello Adyson. How are things goin'?"

"Django, why are you doing this?" Future Adyson asked softly. "I thought you wanted to make things right, not make them worse."

"That was my initial goal, but then I learned something: you can't change the timeline, no matter what you do. It doesn't matter; you make a change, the timeline repairs itself. My studies have all reached this conclusion, and I've tried to find an alternate solution, but I didn't find any. I was left to deal with the mistakes I've made, and the horrible consequence that the universe had to suffer as a result, with nothing to do that'll change it. I tried to tell you that, I tried telling all of you that, but did you listen? No! Instead, you were wasting your time trying to find a way to repair that time machine! None of you would've listened to me anyway, if all that I suggest will just lead to more chaos and terror. That's why I left the Freedom Fighters! After all, what's the point in resisting Phineas when it's obvious that he's gonna win?"

"Did you find any proof that the timeline can repair itself?"

"No. But the data didn't lie!"

"If you don't have any proof, then there's no harm in trying it out, see if you're actually right."

"I don't care anymore! I serve Phineas now, and my loyalty is to him and him only! And I have orders to capture anyone who resists, and exterminate anyone who resists too much!"

Future Adyson sighed. "If you insist..."

The woman proceeded to engage Future Django, Sid, and the Red Triangle Robot in combat. Sid tried to grab Future Adyson, but she stepped out of the way and elbowed him in the back before pulling out two laser guns and opened fire on the Red Triangle Robot, damaging its chassis. However, the robot shrugged off its injuries and grabbed Future Adyson, lifting her into the air and then throwing her roughly to the side, towards Future Django. The man caught her, then brought her head at the same level as his before intentionally slamming his head onto hers. She cried out in pain as it assaulted her head viciously, and the pain immediately increased when Future Django punched her in the face, then slamming her to the ground, to which Sid, cackling maniacally, turned his robotic hand into a baseball bat and began beating her with it. Django and Adyson both buried their faces in their fathers to look away from the brutal scene.

Finally, Sid ceased the beatings, snickering, and Future Django said to the defeated Freedom Fighter, "I appreciate you trying to help me, Adyson, but it's not gonna help. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to capture our past selves."

"And I've gotta kill that Django!" said Sid. "I still haven't forgotten the time he cut off my hand!"

"What?" Future Django turned to his comrade. "He's _me_!"

"Oh, really?" Sid looked from Django to the boy's older self. "Wow. I never knew. Well, too bad; I'm still gonna kill him!"

"Wait, you can't!" exclaimed Future Django.

"Why not? I thought you said any change in the timeline wouldn't matter; it'll repair itself."

"I...I...I..." stammered the man, and Future Adyson looked up at him, beaming. Sid scoffed as he turned his bat into a sword.

"Well, we'll find out if you're right, then," he said sadistically as he stalked towards Django, accompanied by the Red Triangle Robot.

"NO!" Future Django cried. "You can't do that!"

"Watch me."

Sid cackled and grabbed Django, pulling him away from Beppo's grasp as he raised his sword...

And then, he released his grip on Django and fell to the ground, dead. Everyone looked at Future Django, who was holding his Death Ray gun. The Red Triangle Robot charged for the man, and Future Django attempted to kill it with his weapon, but found that it didn't work on robots, as the lasers were shrugged off. The robot deployed its mace and swung it at Future Django, but he dodged it and pulled out a second sword, severing the chain attaching the mace to the robot before swinging it around its head. He then pulled the chain ruthlessly, and the robot's head was slowly pulled out of its body, several long wires hanging from it like a spine. Future Django then threw the chain down as Future Adyson stood up.

"Django!" she cried happily. "I knew there was still some good in you somew-"

Future Django aimed his Death Ray at her. "Just because I killed those two," he snarled, "doesn't mean I defected again. I'm gonna tell the boss that they were killed in the crash, and I'm still gonna capture you and the others."

"Not if I can help it."

"Then I'll shoot you, Adyson."

The woman smiled warmly, without any trace of fear. "Go ahead then. Shoot me."

Future Django's eyes widened, then they narrowed into slits. "You're gonna die, Adyson."

"I'm not afraid. Shoot me, Django, shoot me like you did with that guy. You have orders, so shoot me!"

"What are you doing?" asked Adyson, but her older self motioned her to stand down.

Future Django's eye twitched, and he gulped as he prepared to shoot Future Adyson. But then, he lowered the Death Ray, exhaling.

"I can't do it," he said. "I can't hurt you, Adyson. You were still kind to me even after I defected, when no one else was. I...I just can't hurt you." He sat down on the papery wreckage of the Paper Pelican. "I...I don't know what I'm doing anymore."

Django, Adyson, and Future Adyson approached Future Django and sat beside him while the Brown and Sweetwater parents watched.

"You may be right, me," said Django, "about the timeline being constant, but it doesn't hurt to try and see for yourself."

"This is your chance to make things right, Django," Adyson said. "If it doesn't work out in the end, at least you tried."

"What do you say, Django?" asked Future Adyson. "Will you help us defeat Phineas?"

Future Django looked at his past self and the two Adysons before immersing himself in thought. Finally, after several minutes, he realized that it doesn't hurt to try and smiled.

"I'm in."

* * *

Phineas, Ferb, Perry, Candace, and Isabella ran through the Paper Pelican's wreckage of paper as fast as they can, the Shadow, Emperor Phineas, and the latter's troops behind them. Evading the soldiers proved to be slightly difficult for the five in the rain, for it somewhat blinded them as the droplets kept pelting their eyes, and the water was absorbed by their clothes, weighing them down and slowing them as a result.

Suddenly, Isabella accidentally tripped and fell to the papery ground. Looking back, she saw the Shadow gaining on her.

"PHINEAS!" she called. "HELP!"

Phineas looked back and gasped as the Shadow grabbed his neighbor and best friend, holding her in his grasp as he snickered evilly.

"Come and get her, boy!" he taunted.

Before Ferb, Perry, and Candace can stop him, Phineas growled angrily and charged for the Shadow without any weapons, not caring if there was more than one opponent. Strangely, all he was concerned about was saving Isabella from his evil doppelganger. However, he was only a foot away from the Shadow when Emperor Phineas stood between them and grabbed the inventor's neck, lifting him high into the air. Phineas struggled, and his eyes widened when he saw his future self procure a Death Ray gun; the boy began to struggle even harder, and Isabella began to cry for her crush while the Shadow chuckled, savoring the moment.

"You three," snarled Emperor Phineas to Ferb, Perry, and Candace, all of whom were rushing to Phineas's aid, "stand down, or he's going bye-bye, and so is the girl!"

Ferb, Perry, and Candace looked at one another, then reluctantly dropped their weapons. The soldiers closed in on the three, prepared to capture them, when Future Isabella ran into the scene and took out her stun guns, incapacitating every soldier within seconds before punching Emperor Phineas in the stomach, causing him to release his captive. Before the Shadow can do anything, Future Isabella swung a rope around her past self's waist and pulled her away from the villain.

Isabella then made a run for it, but the Shadow immediately caught up with her and was about to recapture the girl when Phineas, yelling a battle cry, punched the Shadow squarely in the face, sending him back. Growling with pure rage as he rubbed his bruise, the Shadow threw a punch at Phineas, but missed, and the inventor elbowed him in the back, sending him to the ground. With the Shadow incapacitated, Phineas grabbed Isabella's hand, causing her to blush, and led her away towards Ferb, Perry, and Candace.

At the same time, the rest of the Freedom Fighters appeared and engaged Emperor Phineas's troops in combat, while Linda, Lawrence, Vivian, Jack, and Gretchen reunited with Phineas, Ferb, Perry, Candace, and Isabella.

"You guys okay?" asked Jack.

"Yeah, I guess we are," Isabella replied.

"I wouldn't say you're okay."

Standing there was the Shadow, obviously infuriated.

* * *

Future Isabella swung her fist at Emperor Phineas, but he dodged the punch and retaliated with a successful kick to the stomach. Reeling from the pain, the woman was distracted, and it allowed the emperor to punch her in the face, and she began to fall, but he caught her and punched her for a second time. Falling to the ground, Future Isabella took out a whip and stood up, then twirled around and lashed at Emperor Phineas numerous times, and the woman refused to stop until he finally fell to the ground, groaning with pain. Future Isabella then approached her crush and lifted him in the air, to face him.

"Gonna kill me, Garcia-Shapiro?" Emperor Phineas taunted. "Cause all that whipping? Man, that was efficient, so _dedicated_! If only you joined me; you would've made a great punisher..."

"No, Phineas," replied Future Isabella. "I'm just gonna make sure you don't do anything else. And by the way, punisher is not a word."

"Po-tay-to, po-tah-to. By the way, you can't afford to get yourself distracted."

"What d'you mean by that?"

"Cause you never know when your enemy can recuperate while you talk away."

With that, Emperor Phineas grabbed the whip from Future Isabella and wrapped it around her neck, pulling both sides as hard as he can, strangling the Freedom Fighter leader. The woman struggled, but the emperor's grip was extremely tight, and he began to snicker sadistically.

"Goodbye, Isabella," he said as he strengthened his grip. Suddenly, he seemed to fall unconscious and fell to the ground again, his grip loosening and allowing Future Isabella to tear the whip away from her neck as she embraced the fresh air, just as Future Adyson rushed up to her.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," Future Isabella replied. "Was it you that saved me, Addie?"

"No. It was him."

She pointed at Future Django, who was holding his Death Ray gun, smoke issuing from the barrel. Future Isabella's eyes widened.

"WHAT? DJANGO _KILLED_ HIM?"

"Actually, no," Beppo said, appearing along with his son and wife as well as the Sweetwaters. "My future son here managed to rewire that gun of his, to switch its function."

"Yeah," said Django. "Now that thing has the ability to shoot lasers that cure people of their evil, without having to short-circuit in the rain."

Future Isabella heard a groan and turned around to see Emperor Phineas stand up and examine his surroundings. The raven-haired woman gasped when she saw that the emperor's eyes were blue for the first time in ten years. She rushed forward and grabbed Future Phineas by the shoulders, turning him so the man can face her.

"Phineas!" she cried happily. "You're back to normal!"

Future Phineas just stared back, his constant wandering of the Shadow's reality alone for a decade having taken a toll on his mind. Finally, after several seconds that seemed like many hours, he spoke.

"Who _am_ I? And who _are_ you?"

Future Isabella gasped, and her eyes began to well with tears. She didn't expect her friend and longtime crush to not remember her even though they haven't seen one another for a long time, and it tore her heart apart to know that. Distraught, the woman shook Future Phineas slightly, in a near-deluded hope that it would help jog his memory.

"Phineas?" she cried. "Don't you remember me? Don't you remember "

Future Phineas's blue eyes stared into Future Isabella's blue eyes as they looked back. Finally, memories began to flow into his brain, memories of his life. He was one, and he was enjoying a mobile Phillip made for his crib. He was two, and he was riding a tricycle that went at super-fast speeds, invented by Phillip. He was three, and Candace was tickling him as a way of cheering him up after Phillip's death. He was four, and he and Candace were playing hide-and-seek. He was five, and he was meeting Ferb for the first time. He was six, and he and Ferb found their extraordinary talent of inventing after repairing one of Candace's dolls. He was seven, and he was meeting Baljeet, Buford, and his other friends for the first time. He was eight,and he was celebrating Father's Day with Lawrence. He was nine, and he and Ferb were searching around the house for a mysteriously disappeared Perry, only to find him in the backyard. He was ten, and he and Ferb were building the monumental rollercoaster. And then, a single sentence crossed Future Phineas's mind.

_ **"Hiya, Phineas. Whatcha doin'?"** _

Future Phineas's eyes widened at the sight of Future Isabella, finally remembering. "Isabella!"

Future Isabella gasped. "Phineas!" she cried. "You remember!"

The former emperor looked around, realizing that he was free. "Yes," he replied, "yes I do!"

"Oh thank God, Phineas!" cried Future Django and embracing Future Phineas, accompanied by the future selves of Isabella and Adyson, while the Browns and Sweetwaters watched happily. When the hug broke apart, Future Phineas looked around, searching for someone, but finding a lack of said person's presence.

"Where's Ferb?" he asked.

Future Isabella's eyes widened, while Future Django and Future Adyson looked at one another, unsure of what to say; Future Phineas noticed his friends' unusual moods.

"Guys? _Where's Ferb_?"

Tears flowed from Future Isabella's eyes. "Oh, Phineas," she replied. "I don't know how to say this, but...but..."

"What?" When Future Isabella wouldn't reply anymore, Future Phineas realized the truth. "Oh, my God. Did...did I-?"

"No," said Future Django. "It was Sid. Sid killed your family, Perry, the Doofenshmirtz family, Baljeet, and Buford. You ordered it, but you didn't personally kill them. It's okay, Phineas; Sid's dead. And we managed to prevent their deaths in the past anyway."

"You...you did?"

"Yes," Future Adyson replied. "We're in the past, Phineas, trying to save your past self. We helped him control the evil, but it's still present inside him, explaining our continued presence. We need to find a way to cure him once and for all if we are to make a better future for them...for us..."

"I understand." Future Phineas pointed heroically at the cloudy sky, a lightning bolt streaking across it as he did so. "Guys, I know what we're gonna do today! We're gonna prevent our future from happening!"

* * *

Doofenshmirtz shielded Vanessa, Norm, and Charlene as they slowly backed away from Rodney, Sharpeard, Helmetair, Bulkare, and the Morn Duo as they closed in on them. The unconscious bodies of Bloodpudding, Diminuitive, Blair, and Tancien lay behind the seven Red Triangle members, clearly defeated.

"Round three of our fight, Doofenshmirtz," snarled Rodney. "And THIS time, I'll win! After all, third time's the charm, am I right?"

"I wouldn't say so, Rodney," Doofenshmirtz replied, and Rodney groaned angrily.

"Oh, why must people call me Rodney? I'm not gonna say my real name again: Aloyse Ever-"

"I may be on your side, Rodney," interrupted Sharpeard, "but even I don't want to hear of your full name. One more mention of it will send me to bedlam."

"Me too," Bulkare added.

"Same here," said Helmetair.

Rodney groaned again, annoyed at his own acquaintances. "Just shut up and get those Doofenshmirtzes."

"With pleasure," replied Sharpeard in a sinister voice as he led the others to capture the Doofenshmirtz family when a laser shot Bulkare, stunning him. Everyone turned to see Doofenshmirtz-2 rushing towards them, an army of Norm Bots behind him.

"Leave the other-dimension me alone!" yelled the dictator as he took out several small red discs and threw them at the Red Triangle soldiers; they cringed in pain as the discs pelted them, assaulting them with sting-like pain and leaving them distracted, allowing the Norm Bots to seize them all and restrain them with rope.

However, Rodney and the Morn Duo managed to evade the Norm Bots. The Morn Duo combined and transformed into the O.W.C.A. bus, which Rodney boarded, and the vehicle sped away, obviously making an attempt to get away. Several Norm Bots grouped in front of the incoming bus and began riddling its front with lasers, and the bus was forced to split in half and transform back into the Morn Duo again. Rodney was sent flying into the air, screaming, but then, he pressed a button on his lab coat, and a jetpack was deployed from his back. The evil scientist was soon flying through the air, and he directed himself towards Doofenshmirtz specifically, putting on a glove that allowed him to lift any heavy object.

"I'M COMING FOR YOU, DOOFENSHMIRTZ!" roared Rodney.

Doofenshmirtz screamed and tried to duck to prevent his arch-rival from snatching him, but it was too late and Vanessa, Norm, Doofenshmirtz-2, and Charlene watched in shock as Doofenshmirtz was lifted high into the air by Rodney, who was using his gloved hand to carry him to the rooftop of a nearby skyscraper. Vanessa, Doofenshmirtz-2, and Charlene latched themselves on Norm Bots and ordered them to levitate to the rooftop, while Norm followed on his feet-mounted jet boosters. The remaining Norm Bots engaged the Morn Duo in battle, in the meantime.

At the rooftop, Rodney fought against Doofenshmirtz, trying to land successful punches and kicks, but the former Druelselstein resident constantly managed to avoid them.

"Come on and fight, you cowardly simpleton!" Rodney taunted angrily.

Doofenshmirtz's eyes narrowed into slits at the insult. "Call me a simpleton, will you Rodney?" he snarled.

"It's Aloyse Everhea-OOF!" Rodney was interrupted by a kick to the chest, and he fell to the ground. Angered, the scientist pulled out a stun gun and fired a couple of lasers at Doofenshmirtz, but he avoided them all as he took out his Coition-Inator and fired back, but Rodney, in turn, dodged every bubble. Lasers and bubbles flew about the rooftop, just as Vanessa, Doofenshmirtz-2, Charlene, Norm, and the Norm Bots appeared.

"Dad!" cried Vanessa.

"Vanessa?" Doofenshmirtz turned to look at his daughter, but this, unfortunately, left him distracted, allowing Rodney to stun him in the chest.

"DAD!" screamed Vanessa and Norm simultaneously.

"HEINZ!" Charlene yelled.

"OTHER-DIMENSION ME!" Doofenshmirtz-2 cried.

Doofenshmirtz fell to the ground, reeling in pain from the stun laser, and Rodney chuckled as he took out his Death Ray gun next and pointed its barrel at his rival's forehead.

"Say bye-bye to your father slash creator slash ex-husband slash other-dimension counterpart!" the villain said as he prepared to pull the trigger.

_ **"Stay away from our creator's other-dimension counterpart or be destroyed!"** _

Rodney had undoubtedly forgotten about the Norm Bots as Doofenshmirtz-2's robotic soldiers fired their weapons at the evil scientist. Yelping out, Rodney kept stepping out of the way of the lasers to dodge them, and eventually, he seemed to be doing a sort of comical dance in order to avoid being hit. Norm transformed one of his hands into a grappling hook and fired it at Doofenshmirtz's lab coat; the hook tore through the coat and Norm retracted it, dragging his incapacitated creator back to him and the others.

"Are you okay, Dad?" asked Norm, concerned.

"No," Doofenshmirtz replied in a pained groan. "You just put a hole in my precious lab coat."

When Norm's smile turned upside-down, Doofenshmirtz smiled and added, "But thanks for dragging me away from the crossfire, Norm."

Norm's frown reverted back into a smile and the robot replied optimistically, "Thanks, Dad!"

Meanwhile, Rodney put on a pair of gloves that allowed him to punch through any substance and charged for the Norm Bot trio, dodging their fired lasers as he did so. Yelling out, Rodney punched through one of the Norm Bots before grabbing a second Norm Bot and tearing him into half with his gloved hands. The third Norm Bot tried to punch him senseless, but Rodney grabbed the robot's fist and ripped it out, then threw it at the robot's head, damaging its sensors and allowing him to punch through its chassis. Unfortunately, he hit the Norm Bot's power core, causing it to eject a powerful shock wave that sent Rodney flying backward.

The Doofenshmirtzes were all caught in the force of the shock wave as well and thrown back. Doofenshmirtz-2 tumbled across the ground, causing the pocket holding his Choo-Choo to unbutton, and the toy train was practically bouncing towards the edge of the building.

"CHOO-CHOO!" screeched the dictator.

Recovering from the effects of the stun laser, Doofenshmirtz stood up and cried, "I got it!"

Before anyone can protest, the former villain sprinted towards the toy train as it landed on the edge of the building and was teetering on it. Doofenshmirtz grabbed it before the toy can fall and raised it up in the air triumphantly.

"I GOT IT, OTHER-DIMENSION ME!"

Suddenly, the chassis of the fallen third Norm Bot exploded, sending out a second shock wave that sent everything around it flying; Doofenshmirtz was thrust off of his feet and soon found himself falling over the edge. However, he had passed one floor when he managed to grab a flagpole, preventing him from plunging to his death. Hanging onto both the Choo-Choo train and the flagpole, Doofenshmirtz found hanging onto them difficult, as the falling rain made the metal of both objects slippery.

"Don't worry, Dad!" called Vanessa from above. "We're gonna get you!"

"Hurry up!" Doofenshmirtz replied fearfully. "This train's getting slippery, and so is this flagpole!"

A few minutes had passed when Vanessa, Norm, Charlene, and Doofenshmirtz-2 arrived at the window nearest to the flagpole Doofenshmirtz was hanging onto. Norm transformed his hand into a grappling claw and fired it; the claw latched itself onto Doofenshmirtz's back, somewhat painfully.

"Ouch, Norm!" cried Doofenshmirtz.

"Sorry, Dad!" Norm replied. "You can let go of that flagpole now!"

Doofenshmirtz obeyed, but when he released his grip on the pole, he and Norm immediately realized that the claw cannot support the scientist's weight. Doofenshmirtz soon found himself dangling on the claw as its rope slowly began to tear. Norm had transformed his other hand into another grappling claw and was using it to prevent himself from falling out of the window as it was holding tightly and stubbornly on a bed. The robot retracted the claw holding Doofenshmirtz, but the scientist's weight was slowing down the process.

"Jeez, Dad," commented Norm, "for a thin guy like you, I _definitely_ know that you haven't been exercising!"

"Not another word out of you, Norm," Doofenshmirtz replied. "I may have admitted myself to be your dad, but I still say you're annoying!"

"As long as you know you're my dad, then it's fine with me!"

"Hold on, Dad!" Vanessa cried. "You're gonna make it!"

Doofenshmirtz examined the rope's tearing, which was beginning to worsen, then he looked at Choo-Choo. Then he sighed and looked up at his family, smiling a sad smile.

"Other-dimension me," he called, "I'm gonna throw Choo-Choo to you!"

"And what about you?" Doofenshmirtz-2 asked.

"Just leave me be."

"WHAT?" Vanessa screeched. "No, Dad! You can make it, I know you can!"

"This thing's tearing at a fast rate, and I don't think I'll reach you in time. Consider this as my last deed for good as I throw Choo-Choo to you."

"Maybe Choo-Choo's the thing weighing you down!" replied Doofenshmirtz-2. "Let him go, it's okay with me! I think I can manage without him!"

"No, you can't. If I let it go, then you'll eventually become evil again and decide to conquer this Tri-State Area. I don't want that to happen, for it's my job. Which is why I'm gonna toss Choo-Choo to you!"

And with a grunt, Doofenshmirtz tossed Choo-Choo to Doofenshmirtz-2 with all of his might, and the dictator managed to catch it, nearly dropping the toy train but then maintaining his grip. Meanwhile, Vanessa and Charlene were protesting against Doofenshmirtz's newest wish, while Norm struggled with all of his might to retract the claw even faster, but with no success.

"Dad, don't do this!" cried Vanessa, tears welling in her eyes. "You CAN'T!"

"I'm sorry, Vanessa," Doofenshmirtz replied, tears forming in his eyes as well. "It's the only way. Look, before I fall, I wanna say this: I'm sorry for being such a terrible father. My parents weren't the best in the world, and when I grew up and had you with your mother, I was inexperienced at being a father because I never got to learn from my old man. As a result, your birthdays were too girly, I was overprotective, I never thoroughly examined what you wanted in life. In fact, I kept trying to turn you evil as a result, without ever considering your feelings about it. All in all, I had been so terrible as a father, and I never realized that until now. And I want to apologize. I'm sorry, Vanessa."

Tears were now flowing from Vanessa's eyes. "Dad, you were _never_ a terrible father. _I_ was a terrible daughter. I've always been so negative towards you, I never thoroughly examined what _you_ wanted from me, and worse yet, I never _thanked_ you for what you did for me. Sure, your overprotective nature was a pain, but I didn't realize until now that the reason you were this way was because you cared for me. And I now understand why my birthdays were so girly; you should've told me why in the first place. That way I would've understood."

"I was too embarrassed."

"You tell those stories to Perry, apparently."

"I never receive a reply from him, so it's cool!"

"Look, Dad, it is _I_ who should be apologizing. I've been a terrible daughter; you were always a great father."

Doofenshmirtz smiled. "Oh, thanks honey!" He then looked at the rope; it was almost fully torn. "Vanessa, I'm sorry, but it's too late for me. I'm sorry that I won't be around to see your graduation, your wedding...your grandchildren..." He looked up at Doofenshmirtz-2. "Take good care of them."

"No, other-dimension me," the dictator protested, "you hang in there!"

Doofenshmirtz ignored him and looked at Vanessa and Charlene, tears flowing from his eyes and mixing with the rain. "I love you both."

"HEINZ!" yelled Charlene.

"DAD!" Vanessa screamed.

Norm tried to retract the claw faster, but it was too late: the rope had torn and the four watched with horror as Doofenshmirtz fell past the many floors, a smile still on his face, and soon, the scientist disappeared from sight as he continued to fall down the skyscraper.

"**DAD**!" screeched Vanessa. But there was no response. Her father was gone.

* * *

"Uh, how come there are two of you now?" asked Lawrence as he looked from the Shadow to Phineas.

Ferb's eyes widened with realization, and he replied, "That's because our molecular separator separated Phineas's good and evil personalities!"

"Molecular what?" Jack asked.

"Molecular separator," said Phineas. "Someone get it; it looks like a camera!"

"Why?" asked Isabella. "All we can do now is find a way to get rid of this guy!"

The Shadow laughed. "Stupid, stupid girl," he said. "Whatever you do to me, you do to Phineas! We're two personalities of one person!"

"Don't call my Isa stupid!" growled Vivian.

"D'you really think I'd _care_? Now, shut up, for I have to destroy you all!"

"Go and get the molecular separator!" Phineas said to Isabella and Gretchen. "We'll handle him!"

Isabella and Gretchen nodded and the two girls ran off, accompanied by Vivian and Jack. The Shadow attempted to pursue them, but Lawrence blocked his way and the man, along with Perry, engaged him in a heated fight. Phineas and Ferb tried to join in, but Linda stepped in front of them.

"You two," Linda said, "stay back. Your father and Perry will handle this."

"But-" began Phineas, but his mother cut him off.

"That's an order, Phineas. You can't afford to get hurt."

"But they can't handle that guy on their own!"

"Don't worry. They have some help."

With that, Phineas and Ferb were forced to watch with Linda and Candace as Pinky, Monogram, Carl, Admiral Acronym, Meap, and Agent Double 0-0 arrived and helped Lawrence and Perry fight the Shadow. Their teamwork equaled the villain's surprising strength and fighting capabilities. Agent Double 0-0 kicked the Shadow in the stomach, allowing Pinky and Meap to leap onto the villain and begin punching his face and neck. Yelling out in white-hot anger, the Shadow grabbed the Chihuahua agent and the small alien, throwing them off of him. Lawrence, Carl, and Acronym took out inventions supplied to them by Thaddeus and Thor and used them to distract the Shadow long enough for Monogram to attack the villain.

However, the Shadow immediately retaliated with a kick to the stomach, weakening the superior, and was about to continue his attack when Carl and Perry tackled him to the ground. Perry took out his grappling-hook launcher and fired it, wrapping the hook's rope around the Shadow and restraining him. However, the Shadow, energized by his fury, easily tore out of his bonds and instantly punched the platypus agent before attacking Carl. Monogram, recuperating from the blow dealt to his stomach, rescued his intern, punching the villain twice before kicking him towards Agent Double 0-0, who used his fighting skills to overwhelm the Shadow, bringing him to the ground.

"NO!" the Shadow roared. "I _CANNOT_ BE DEFEATED!" The villain took out his walkie-talkie, pressed a button, and screamed into it. "I NEED REINFORCEMENTS, NOW!"

Future Phineas's voice came from the other end. "I'm sorry; you're reinforcements are all defeated." The Shadow looked up, feeling a new presence, and saw that Future Phineas, Future Django, Future Adyson, Django, Adyson, and the latter two's parents standing before him.

"And so is you," said Django, his arms crossed triumphantly.

The Shadow tried to back away, but found that Lawrence, Perry, Monogram, Carl, Acronym, Meap, and Agent Double 0-0 were behind him. He was trapped.

Smiling, Phineas approached the fallen Shadow, Ferb, Candace, and Linda accompanying him.

"In the words of Candace," he said to his doppelganger, "you're _busted_!"

Candace smiled proudly at her brother, while the Shadow growled in defeat.

"Where's Isabella?" asked Adyson.

"She and Gretchen ran off to get the molecular separator," Ferb replied. Immediately, Adyson ran off, in pursuit of her friends, and Django followed her.

Little did anyone notice that the Shadow was touching a puddle of the growth elixir without his own knowledge.

* * *

Isabella, Gretchen, Vivian, and Jack ran across the battlefield as the Freedom Fighter army began to defeat Emperor Phineas's troops. Vivian nearly slipped due to the ground, which was wet from the falling rain, but Jack managed to catch her. Isabella and Gretchen suddenly spotted the Fireside Girls; they were collaborating with their counterparts, the Firestorm Girls, as the two troops defeated a gargantuan alien.

"Fireside Girls!" called Isabella, catching the attention of her troop. "We need some assistance in finding Phineas and Ferb's molecular separator!"

"Aye aye, captain!" Holly replied, saluting Isabella before turning to the other Fireside Girls. "Fireside Girls, let's help out!"

"Fireside Girls go!" the other girls replied in unison as they joined Isabella and Gretchen. Gretchen-2 turned to Isabella-2.

"Let's help our other-dimension selves!" she suggested.

"Good idea, Gretchen," replied Isabella-2. "Firestorm Girls, go!"

"Aye aye, captain!" the Firestorm Girls replied simultaneously as they joined their 1st Dimension selves as they searched the Paper Pelican's wreckage for the molecular separator. Finally, after a few minutes, Milly was able to see the contraption from a distance, half-buried in the papery mass, illuminated by the flashing of a lightning bolt.

"I found it!" she called.

"Good job, Milly!" replied Isabella as she approached her colleague. "When all of this is done, you're getting the Best Long-Distance Sight Patch!"

"YAY!"

"Patch?" asked Isabella-2, and the Fireside Girls looks at their counterparts.

"You mean you guys don't collect patches?" Ginger asked, shocked.

"Well, since we don't know what the patches you're referring to are," replied Katie-2, "then no."

The Fireside Girls and the Firestorm Girls quietly stared at one another for a few seconds before Vivian broke the silence.

"I think we should be getting that molecular separator now."

"Right, Mom," replied Isabella quickly. "Fireside Girls, let's go!"

"Aye aye, captain!" the Fireside Girls all cried.

"Firestorm Girls," Isabella-2 commanded, "we're helping out!"

"Aye aye, captain!" the Firestorm Girls all replied.

The two troops stared at each other again briefly before making their way towards the molecular separator. However, before they can reach it, the papers in front of them suddenly exploded, and the girls screamed when someone emerged from the wreckage. Swatting away the papers angrily, the Fireside Girls and the Firestorm Girls realized it was Byron, his muscles rippling as he closed in on them.

"Come here, girls," he snarled as he took out a grappling-hook launcher.

But before he can fire it, the Firestorm Girls all sprung into action, attacking the muscular bomber. Adyson-2 expertly kicked the launcher out of Byron's hand, and he tried to punch her in response, but Gretchen-2 kicked his arm, while Holly-2 and Katie-2 jumped onto his shoulders and placed duct tape over his eyes. Byron immediately shoved the two girls off of him and tore the tape from his eyes, but he tore it out too fast and nearly tore his skin out. Yelling out in pain, he clutched his eyes, just as Isabella-2 and Ginger-2 kicked his legs, sending him to the ground, and Milly-2 immediately kicked his stomach twice, knocking the wind out of him. All the while, the Fireside Girls watched in awe, just as Adyson caught up.

"What'd I miss?" Adyson asked.

"That," replied Milly, pointing at the triumphant Firestorm Girls, standing beside Byron's fallen form.

"Wow," said Ginger. "We can do _that_?"

"Well, apparently," Gretchen replied, as Isabella dragged the molecular separator towards the group.

"Alright, everyone," the black-haired girl said, "this thing separated Phineas's good and evil personalities. We've gotta get this back to Phineas and use it to merge him and his evil together."

"And we've gotta do it quick!" exclaimed Jack, pointing into the distance. "LOOK!"

Everyone followed the finger's direction and saw that he was pointing at the Shadow, who was _growing_ in size. The villain's maniacal chuckling echoed through all of Danville as he continued to ascend towards the cloud-filled sky. Everyone's mouths dropped open in shock.

"How'd THAT happen?" Vivian asked.

**"AHAHAHA! FOOLS!"** boomed the Shadow. **"It looks like your growth elixir's all I need to defeat you all!"**

Suddenly, numerous fighter jets appeared in the sky, and Isabella and her group heard rumbling from behind; they turned around to see an army of tanks and soldiers coming their way.

"About time they called in the military," noted Jack.

"Hey!" a soldier cried, spotting Isabella's group. "Stay back; it's dangerous!"

"Wait!" protested Isabella. "Don't fire at him! Just don't! Trust me!"

"Sorry, young lady," the soldier replied, "but I have orders. Besides, I really don't see why we can't open fire on him-"

"INCOMING!" roared a second soldier. Everyone looked at the Shadow, who had swatted away the fighter jets like they were flies, and one jet was headed for the army. Isabella and the others watched with terrified shock as the jet collided painfully with the front-most tanks and soldiers and then explode. The group was caught in the explosion and sent flying.

* * *

_"Love's such a strange thing, isn't it Vivian?" asked David._

_"Yes it is, David," Vivian replied, smiling as she hugged him again, "but it's never strange as long as you have someone you love, even after you die, and this person loves you back, even after he or she is dead. That's what love's about."_

David thrust his eyes open, and found himself staring at the street, littered with pieces of asphalt, wood, and other construction materials; some of them were aflame. Standing up, rubbing his head as he did so, he found that the battle was still underway, as he was witnessing the Freedom Fighters battling Emperor Phineas's troops. Looking around him, he realized that the army had tried to stop the Red Triangle, but their vehicles were all in flames; soldiers were lying on the ground, dead.

"Mommy!" a voice cried in the distance. "Daddy!"

David lightly slapped his temple, believing that what he was hearing was an illusion, a result of being knocked unconscious. But the voice persisted, and David noticed that it sounded...sad. He smiled, clearly savoring the grief the speaker was experiencing, and began following the voice, bringing his sharpened wooden stick with him. He hoped to see the tragedy personally and wallow happily in the despair.

It didn't take him long when he came across the scene: a little girl with tan hair and a lavender bow was kneeling beside the bodies of her parents, softly weeping as she clutched a Ducky Momo doll. She was wearing a lavender shirt and dark-purple pants. The fallen chassis of a Ranged-Class Gamma Sub-Class Red Triangle Robot was lying beside her. David smiled sadistically and stalked closer to the scene, tapping his stick on the ground so the girl would notice his presence.

"Hello, little girl," he greeted. The girl looked up, sniffling as she tried to control her crying.

"P-Please!" she pleaded. "H-H-He-Help my m-mommy and d-d-daddy."

"No one can help them now," replied David in a sinister voice. "It looks like you're-"

However, the girl unknowingly cut him off. "W-Why is th-this h-h-happening? D-Did w-we do s-s-som-something w-wrong?"

David growled angrily. "Look-"

The girl cut him off again. "W-W-What-Whatever hap-happened, I'm s-s-sorry! S-S-So so-sorry! P-Please br-bring m-my mommy and d-daddy back! Please!"

"Maybe I can-"

"PLEASE! B-BR-BRING M-MY M-M-MOMMY AND DA-DADDY BACK!"

David was starting to get annoyed by the girl. He kept trying to speak, only to be cut off by her. Maybe he should just kill her now...

Suddenly, his musings were interrupted when the girl sobbed even harder.

"WWWWWAAAAAHHHHH! PLEASE! B-B-BR-BRING B-BACK M-MY M-M-M-MOMMY A-AN-AND D-DADDY! I-I N-NEVER G-G-GOT T-TO TE-TELL T-TH-THEM I L-LOVED THEM! WWWWWAAAAAHHHHH!"

David dropped his sharpened stick. He suddenly felt bad for the girl. No matter how hard he tried to just savor the misery, something inside him seemed to have changed, and he didn't know what. All he knew was that when he continued to stare at the crying girl, his heart broke. He had seen so many tragedies before and came out smiling like he had been told a joke, but this was different.

David approached the little girl and knelt beside her as she continued to cry. He raised a hand and reluctantly patted her back.

"I'm David," he said kindly. "What's your name?"

"S-S-Sally," replied the girl. "S-Sally F-Fields. My m-mommy t-told me i-it's p-polite to s-s-say m-my fu-full name to s-s-strangers i-if th-they a-ask my n-n-name..."

Sally started to cry again, and David embraced her in a hug, which he found something he didn't do in a while.

"Shhhhh. It's okay, Sally. You'll continue to love them, and they still love you. Even after they're dead."

"Even after?"

"Yes. That's what love's about."

Sally's weeping began to cease, and she began to return the hug. David smiled contently, starting to feel peaceful as he began to experience love again.

* * *

Phineas was able to roll out of the way, just as the Shadow smashed his foot on the place where the inventor was standing seconds before. The Shadow then tried to crushing Ferb, Perry, and Candace with his fist, but Pinky tackled them to the side, and the villain missed again. Monogram, Acronym, Future Django, and Future Adyson began firing their weapons, but they proved to have no effect on the Shadow, and they were forced to roll away when he attempted to crush them with his foot.

**"Stop moving, you fools!"** the Shadow boomed. **"I need to crush you!"**

"That's EXACTLY why we keep moving!" Carl replied.

**"You ** _ **dare** _ ** go all smart-aleck on me? For that, you shall PAY!"**

Carl was forced to jump out of the way, just as the Shadow's foot completely obliterated with spot he was standing on. Meanwhile, Phineas and Ferb reached the puddle of the growth elixir and examined it.

"We need to make something that'll shrink him back to normal size!" said Phineas. His eyes brightened. "Ferb, I know what we're gonna do today!"

**"You're gonna DIE!"** the Shadow roared as he swung his fist at Phineas and Ferb, but they rolled out of the way and the villain missed.

"Guys!" Phineas called to the others. "Keep him busy! Me and Ferb are gonna make something that'll shrink him!"

"Okay, Phineas!" replied Candace, just before she rolled away from the Shadow's incoming hand. Phineas turned to Ferb.

"You ready, bro?" he asked.

Ferb smiled. "As always."

"Alright, let's start working!"

"And we'll help!" said Future Phineas, approaching the two boys alongside Future Isabella.

"Good!" Phineas replied. "We'll need all the help we can get!"

"Can we help too?" asked Baljeet, who was running towards them along with Buford.

"No one gets left out. Alright, people, let's get to work!"

"Ah, it's great to have you back, Dinner Bell," Buford said.

* * *

"Addie!" Django cried, shaking Adyson's unconscious body. "Addie, wake up!"

Finally, Adyson stirred as she regained consciousness, and she looked up at the brown-haired boy she recently started a relationship with. "Django?"

Django breathed a sigh of relief and hugged Adyson, who warmly returned the hug. "Oh, Addie," he said, "I was afraid you were...you were..."

"Dead?" Adyson finished. "Oh Django, we Fireside Girls are tough. We aren't defeated that easily." She then eyed the halves of what appeared to be a futuristic camera lying beside the wreckage of a tank and gasped, recognizing it almost immediately. "Oh no, the molecular separator!"

"What?" Milly was just recovering, along with the others.

"What about the molecular separator?" asked Ginger-2.

"It's...it's...d-destroyed," Adyson replied.

"WHAT?" Isabella sprang forward towards the bifurcated contraption. "NO! WE NEED IT! AND NOW...NOW..."

"YOU'RE _DOOMED_!"

Byron had broken free from his restraints and was closing in on the group, holding the rope as whips. The Firestorm Girls charged for the former bomber, but Byron swung his whip, slashing at the young soldiers and causing them to flinch, allowing him to attack them in their vulnerability. And with that, every Firestorm Girl was defeated. Chuckling with triumph, Byron engaged Jack in battle next, dodging every move the single father made, analyzing the attacks for any pattern and resultant weaknesses. Finally, he was able to find a pattern and struck at a vulnerable spot, just after Jack tried to punch his shoulder, to which Byron retaliated with a punch to the stomach, followed by a kick to the leg and a punch to the face.

"DAD!" cried Gretchen as Jack fell painfully to the ground.

Byron snickered and kicked Jack aside before closing in on the Fireside Girls. Vivian ran forward, intending to stop Byron, but he merely punched her in the face, immediately defeating her.

"MOM!" Isabella screamed.

"Such a weakling," commented Byron.

"Don't call her a weakling, Byron."

David had arrived, pointing a cannon he managed to acquire from the destroyed Red Triangle Robot that he found next to Sally, aiming its barrel at Byron. Everyone gasped at the sudden and unexpected arrival.

"B-B-Boss?" Byron asked, shocked. "W-What're you doing?"

"I've learned something today," replied David, "something I learned a long time ago but came to forget. But now, I've learned of it again, and this time, I'm not letting it go. And it's called love."

Byron didn't reply; instead, he just kept stammering and gulping.

"Now," David continued, "stand down, Byron, and I won't kill you."

The muscular bomber, always being humbled by his leader, threw down the rope, allowing the recuperating Firestorm Girls to tie him up, more securely this time. David smiled triumphantly and helped Vivian to her feet, only to receive a slap to the face as a response.

"OW! What was _that_ for?" David asked.

"For threatening me and my Isa," replied Vivian coldly.

"Look, I've changed, Vivian. I'm sorry for what I did."

"Oh, really? How'd you make such a quick transition? Did Jack hit you a bit too hard that it distorted your beliefs a bit, huh?"

"This little girl helped me rediscover love," David replied, just as Sally came into the scene, holding her Ducky Momo doll.

"Mr. David's a nice person," Sally said. "He protected me from those mean robots!"

Vivian's eyes narrowed, and she turned to David. "Yeah, right," she said. "I'm betting that you threatened her into telling a lie-"

She never got the chance to finish. David seized Vivian and their lips locked, and the two delved into a passionate kiss. At first, Vivian struggled, but when she saw that his kiss was dedicated, so loving, so much like their first kiss, she warmly returned it. Isabella's mouth hung open in shock, completely appalled to see her mother kiss that dreadful man that was her father. However, the other Fireside Girls smiled sweetly at the scene, while the Firestorm Girls nodded with approval. Jack didn't react defensively, realizing that Vivian had accepted David as an ally. Sally smiled for the first time of the day. The only one who was horrified besides Isabella was Byron, whose eye twitched with disapproval.

When the two broke, David turned to Isabella and took a step towards her; Isabella took a step backward.

"Isa," David said, "I've truly changed. Believe me."

Isabella replied with a kick to the leg. "NEVER!"

David sighed; he kinda saw that one coming.

* * *

The Shadow gasped fearfully at the sight of Phineas and Ferb's newest invention: the Tri-Purpose Ray, designed to fire three different lasers, their functions being to reverse the functions of the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator, the molecular separator, and the growth elixir.

**"NO!"** screeched the villain. **"This can't be happening! I've got an empire to establish!"**

"In your dreams, Shadow!" Phineas replied, smiling triumphantly. "Fire the first laser!"

Ferb nodded and pressed a button, and a yellow laser was fired, but the Shadow managed to avoid it. He then tried crushing the invention with his fist, but Ferb pressed another button, and the Tri-Purpose Ray, along with Phineas and Ferb, teleported to a farther distance. The Shadow growled angrily and tore off a chunk of a nearby building, throwing it at the two inventors. However, the machine teleported to the top of the DEI building, and Ferb fired the yellow laser at the Shadow again, but missed. The Shadow picked up a truck and threw it at them, but they teleported beside Candace, Perry, and the others.

"Guys," said Phineas, "keep him distracted. We need to hit him with the yellow laser if we are to shrink him!"

Candace nodded and the group began attacking the Shadow, avoiding his retaliatory attacks all the while.

**"No, no!"** the Shadow cried. **"You **_**cannot**_** defeat me!"**

"We can-" Ferb began.

"-and we _will_," finished Phineas as he fired the yellow laser. This time, it hit the Shadow successfully as he was distracted by an attack by Perry, and the villain screamed as he began to shrink to a normal size.

"NO! NO! I CANNOT BE DEFEATED! I **CANNOT**! **YYYYYAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!**"

The moment he shrunk to a normal size, the Shadow charged for Phineas and Ferb in a blind fit of rage, but Lawrence punched him in the face, incapacitating him.

"Now, son!" cried Lawrence to Phineas, and the inventor nodded, jumping off of the Tri-Purpose Ray's seat and standing alongside the fallen Shadow.

"GAH!" screamed the Shadow. "NO! I. MUSTN'T. BE. _DEFEATED_. NO!"

Before the Shadow can stand up and make a run for it, Phineas held him down with his foot.

"Hurry, Ferb!" the ten-year-old cried.

Ferb nodded and pressed a third button; a white laser was fired from the machine and hit both Phineas and the Shadow. The Shadow let out a prolonged cry of rage and defeat as he merged with Phineas back into one person. The moment the process was finished, Phineas opened his eyes, and everyone gasped at the sight of their green shade; Ferb was distracted. Phineas looked angrily at Ferb.

"You. Cannot. Stop. Me," he snarled, his voice rising with every word. "I. Will. Not. Be. Defeated. I. WILL. **NOT**!"

Everyone gasped with horror when Phineas's green eyes turned red.

"**NEVER**!" Phineas screeched insanely as he charged for Ferb.

Ferb immediately pressed a fourth button, and a blue laser was fired from the Tri-Purpose Ray. The laser immediately hit Phineas, and he instantly fell to the ground.

* * *

Phineas looked around; he was back in the Shadow's reality. However, the purple mist was receding, and the ground was becoming even again. As the mist pulled back, the inventor spotted someone lying on the ground. He cautiously approached the fallen body, and eventually realized that it was none other than the Shadow, his eyes still red. He was breathing calmly, staring up at the nothingness blankly. Phineas had never seen the Shadow so calm.

The moment Phineas was standing beside the Shadow, the villain spoke.

"I guess you win, boy."

Phineas's eyes softened. "No, Shadow," he replied. "I didn't win. Neither did you. ...No one won."

The Shadow exhaled calmly as he began to dissolve into a green dust. Phineas's lip trembled as he watched himself dissolve completely. He knew that the evil side of him was finally gone, but it was still tragic to see him finally disappear. No matter what, he was still pitiful for everyone.

Sighing, Phineas turned around and saw his family and friends standing there. They were smiling at him, pride radiating from their expressions, especially Phillip.

"I guess this is goodbye, guys," said Phineas sadly as everyone began to disappear one by one.

"A goodbye is never required, Dinner Bell," Buford replied. Phineas chuckled lightly; he never heard Buford say something philosophical. The inventor sniffled as he watched the bully dissolve into dust. He then looked at Baljeet.

"Thanks, for everything," Phineas said.

"Anytime, good ol' chap!" replied Baljeet, right before he disappeared. Phineas looked at Isabella next.

"Isabella..." he said, but he trailed off, and Isabella smiled.

"It's okay. I'm not real anyway. Your real love is waiting for you, Phineas."

"So it was _me_ you kissed before our memories were wiped out by the Amnesia-Inator."

"Yes, Phineas, it was me."

Phineas smiled. "I love you, Isabella."

Isabella smiled back. "I love you too, Phineas."

A tear dripped from Phineas's eye as he watched the newfound love of his life disappear. He then looked at Linda and Lawrence.

"Goodbye, Phineas," said Linda.

"We'll see you back in the real world, son!" Lawrence added.

Phineas nodded and replied, "I know."

The two adults smiled proudly and waved goodbye at Phineas right before they dissolved. Tears were flowing from the inventor's eyes completely as he stared at Ferb, who was carrying a mindless Perry.

"It was great, bro. Thanks for everything."

Ferb gave Phineas the thumbs-up, and Perry chattered, before the two disappeared. Phineas sniffled again, just as a voice spoke to him.

"You fought bravely, son. I'm _so_ proud of you."

Phineas looked back and saw Phillip beaming at him, a bright smile on his face. This was the person Phineas wanted to talk to the most.

"I wish you were still here for me, Dad," Phineas said, "back in the real world. I miss you so much there."

"I'm always gonna be there for you, sport," replied Phillip. "I've always been there for you, in the past and in the present. That's what helped you get through everything you've done. And I'm so proud of you. You're definitely strong. Like a true Flynn."

Phineas looked at the ground. "No, Dad. I wasn't strong. I never moved on from your death. It always tore me apart during the anniversary of your...your..."

"Son," Phillip interrupted, "just remember this: Carpe Diem."

Phineas looked up, a sad smile on his face. Tears were still cascading from his eyes, but they were now tears of happiness as Phillip's catchphrase fueled him with a new surge of energy. "That's right. I...I don't know why I never thought of it..."

Phillip smiled again as he began to disappear. "You've always thought of it. You just don't know it." The man looked at himself, realizing that his time had come, and he looked back at his son. "Looks like it's time."

"Dad?" asked Phineas.

"Yes, Phineas?"

"Can I just...hold you for one last time?"

Phillip smiled his widest. "Sure, son."

Phineas ran forward and embraced his father in a hug, one that he wished would never end, but he knew that it wasn't to be so. However, he smiled and continued to hug Phillip.

"I love you, Dad," Phineas said, his eyes closed.

"I love you too, Inventor Extraordinaire," replied Phillip.

Phineas sniffled as he felt his father disappear. He opened his eyes and watched as Phillip's dust was blown away from his reach. Smiling, the inventor felt everything around him disappear into a vortex of color and sound...

"Carpe Diem, Phineas," echoed Phillip's voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that about concludes this chapter! I just love blasts from the past. :D :D :D
> 
> Once again, it looks like I copied "Avengers: Endgame" BEFORE it was cool. First off, the scene with the Fireside Girls and the Firestorm Girls, including their one-sided fight with Byron. Reading that particular sequence reminded me of how the female Avengers ganged up on Thanos and his forces. Of course, it's not too close in similarity, but I couldn't help but be reminded of it regardless. After all, our favorite faux-Girl Scouts going up against a big, buff guy all on their lonesome? It just feels ripe for comparisons.
> 
> Also, Doof's death. Just...Doof's death. It really reminded me of how Tony Stark died near the end of "Endgame", spoiler alert. Sacrificing himself for the greater good and transcending his old reputation to prove himself as a true hero, despite the risk of leaving behind his loved ones? Don't tell me you don't see a bit of a comparison there! Seriously, how the hell did I predict the events of "Endgame"? I feel like some otherworldly, multi-armed genius or something. XD
> 
> Anyway, onto something else of note. While I was reading and refining this chapter, I suddenly remembered an idea that I once had while I was writing this back in 2011. My original idea for a part of the action sequence would be that Phineas was going to trapped in the fake Danville created by the Shadow while the climactic battle was going on. When the other characters sing to get Phineas to retake control of his body, the Shadow would sic the fake versions of the Flynn-Fletcher family, Isabella, Baljeet, Buford, etc., on Phineas to prevent him from doing so. That also includes the fake Phillip Flynn. Thus, he would be forced to literally fight the ideal world that the Shadow created for him. It would be a sadistic choice because Phineas would remember how much he wanted Phillip to be a part of his life, and he would have to destroy him if he wanted to return to the real world. In hindsight, that was a very good idea, and I'm not entirely sure why I chose to drop it in the first place. Maybe because the action sequence was drawn out enough as it was already? I don't know.
> 
> So yeah, I'd have to slap my teenage self in the back of the head for making that honestly foolish choice. XP XP XP
> 
> On the flip-side...we finally get to David's "redemption arc". Ugh. That was pretty terrible to read, I'll admit. In hindsight, I should've kept him dead or something.
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	25. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle is over, but there are still some problems to take care of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we have the aftermath of the final battle! HOORAY! Everyone gets to rejoice! Unfortunately, however, this chapter also has its own downsides, and for those of you who are new readers, you'll figure out why soon.
> 
> In other news, today would've been the ninth anniversary of this fic being posted, had I not gotten cold feet and deleted it the first time around. I still remember the date well because it was two days after I first signed onto this site; I had to wait that long to be able to post anything on here, per site rules or something. I had just started my sophomore year in high school, and one of my classes required me to create an email account so I could contact the teacher. At the time, I never had an email account before and was averse to it because I never saw the need at the time.
> 
> Because of this requirement, my dad helped me create a Yahoo! account, which killed two birds with one stone, because it also allowed me to create an account on this site. Before then, I had been lurking around the site since middle school, I believe. I always wanted to be a member, but I needed an email account to sign in and I was still very opposed to it at the time. Now that I had a good excuse to sign on, I seized the moment to do some fanfiction writing, and since I was a pretty huge "Phineas and Ferb" fan at the time, it was only natural that my first fanfic would be based on the show. I can still remember all the joy and uncertainty that I felt when I originally posted the first chapter of "Evil Phineas". And now, here we are.
> 
> So yeah, I'd like to give a big shout-out to my Honors Humanities teacher, who I will refer to as Mr. C. Let me tell you, he was a very important figure to me in my high school life in more ways than one. :D
> 
> P.S.: Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

Phineas opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was the gray sky. It had stopped raining, and the flashing of lightning and booming of thunder had ceased. The inventor immediately knew that he was lying on his back. Groaning, Phineas stood up, and the first person he saw was Ferb, a smile perched on his face. Standing beside the British boy were Perry and Candace, smiles radiating a bright quality that equaled Ferb's also on their faces. Looking around, he saw that everyone else, every member of the army who fought for his freedom, was encircling him. Emperor Phineas's forces were all lying on the ground, defeated and out for the count.

Immediately, the air was filled with the thunderous explosion of triumphant cheering, and many people began swarming around Phineas, engulfing him in tight, relieved hugs that nearly deprived him of his needed oxygen. Out of all of the hugs supplied to him, Linda and Lawrence's were the tightest; in fact, Phineas was nearly strangled from their bursting joy. As if on cue, the storm clouds began to part, and the rays of sunlight broke through and illuminated Danville, signaling the end of the grim events that transpired during the past week, as well as the beginning of a new period of happiness. In the outskirts of Danville, another military force began moving in, but they were no longer ready for combat, for their instincts told them that the battle had somehow been won.

Suddenly, the celebration stopped, and Phineas wondered why. However, his question was answered when the crowd parted to make way for Vanessa, Norm, Charlene, Bloodpudding, Diminuitive, Blair, and Tancien, every one of them expressing grief as an equally-sad Doofenshmirtz-2 trailed behind with his Norm Bots. Norm was holding something covered in a white drape, but when the robot drew nearer towards Phineas, the inventor realized that the white drape was actually a lab coat. And a second after he made this realization, Phineas immediately noticed the long, pointed nose and the unkempt brown hair that was the corpse wearing the lab coat. The looks of joy were replaced with those of shock and sadness as they realized the identity of the corpse Norm was carrying; Linda began to shed tears.

Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz was dead.

Norm sadly placed the body of his creator on the ground, before Phineas, Ferb, Perry, and Candace; Perry stepped forward, his mouth open, tears welling up in his eyes as he stared at the corpse of his arch-nemesis. He had known Doofenshmirtz for only a year, but to Perry, when he looked back at the moment he first met the evil scientist, the memory seemed to have occurred a long time ago, way more than a whole year. And as annoyed as he was to Doofenshmirtz's ridiculous antics and schemes, the platypus agent realized that deep inside, he considered the evil scientist as a close friend. And now that Doofenshmirtz was lying before him, dead, still, it shattered Perry's heart.

A hand placed itself on Perry's shoulder, and the platypus looked up, expecting Phineas or Ferb, but instead it was Monogram, sadness and pity in the superior's eyes.

"I'm very sorry, Agent P," said the major.

Phineas stepped forward, towards Doofenshmirtz's body, and knelt beside Perry, placing an arm around his pet in comfort.

"I'm sorry too, Perry," Phineas said. "I now know how much of a friend Doofenshmirtz actually was to you, even though you two fought on a daily basis. I wish there was something me and Ferb can do to help, but I doubt that even we can make a device that will bring a dead person back to life..."

"Maybe you can't," a voice said, "but I can!"

Everyone turned to see Professor Poofenplotz standing triumphantly beside a lamppost, holding a hairdryer like it was a gun. The megalomaniacal woman stepped forward and showed everyone the hairdryer.

"Behold, my latest Acator!" she announced.

"A hairdryer?" asked Admiral Acronym. Poofenplotz sighed angrily and slapped her forehead.

"It's not a hairdryer, it's a Bring-Back-To-Life-Acator! I had a feeling something bad might happen, so I used the parts of that Doomsday machine or whatever that thing was called to make THIS! I thank the evil Phineas for providing all of the necessary materials to make this thing. And it looks like my premonition of something bad happening has come true, so it's time for this Acator to shine! Behold, the might of the Bring-Back-To-Life-Acator!"

Poofenplotz aimed the hairdryer at Doofenshmirtz's corpse and pressed a button; a white ray emerged from the device's barrel and enveloped the body. Soon, everyone heard a labored gasping, as if someone was gasping for air, and Vanessa, Norm, and Charlene gasped with happiness the moment Doofenshmirtz opened his eyes and began coughing heavily. Perry chattered with surprise, and Poofenplotz smiled triumphantly.

"DAD!" cried Vanessa, embracing Doofenshmirtz in a tight hug.

"Wh-What happened?" Doofenshmirtz asked the moment he was alleviated of his coughing spell. "Why am I not dead?"

"You _were_ dead, Dad," replied Norm, "but this woman here invented something to bring you back to life." The robot pointed at Poofenplotz, and Doofenshmirtz's eyes narrowed.

"YOU!" the scientist cried, pointing a finger accusingly at Poofenplotz. "I hoped I'd never see you again, _Poofy_!"

"Same here, _Shmirtzo_," snarled Poofenplotz unceremoniously.

"You two know each other?" asked Monogram curiously.

"We were rivals in Evil Science college," Doofenshmirtz replied, still staring daggers at Poofenplotz. "She was jealous of my superior inventing skills and constantly attempted to sabotage my Inators!"

"No," growled Poofenplotz, "_you_ were jealous of _my_ superior inventing skills! And by the way, who still names their inventions 'Inators'? Sounds pretty unoriginal..."

"You DARE?"

"Yes, I dare!"

Perry and Pinky immediately stood in front of their respective arch-nemeses, motioning them to stop their bickering before it can worsen. Doofenshmirtz and Poofenplotz both took heed of the agents' needs and stood down, but they still threw hateful glances at one another. Charlene stepped beside Doofenshmirtz.

"Calm down, Heinz," she said. "Besides, this woman gave you a second life! You should thank her."

"I did it reluctantly," Poofenplotz snarled. Then, she smirked. "However, I did throw in a little upside to all of this."

Vanessa looked at her father and immediately noticed the platypus tail sticking out of Doofenshmirtz's backside. Doofenshmirtz instinctively looked at his backside and noticed the tail too; everyone, especially Perry, suppressed their giggles as the scientist let out a girly scream, and Poofenplotz burst into triumphant laughter.

Suddenly, Future Isabella's watch began beeping, and the black-haired woman looked at it. She smiled and looked at Future Gretchen, nodding at her. Future Gretchen nodded back, and Future Isabella addressed the others.

"Guys, now that the evil Phineas is gone, it's time for us to disappear."

"What?" asked Phineas and Future Phineas simultaneously. Then, Future Phineas understood what had to be done and stood beside Future Isabella. The other Freedom Fighters, dragging Emperor Phineas's troops behind them, did so as well.

Phineas-2 noticed the motorcyclist, the soldier's identity still masked by the helmet. As the visitors from the future began to dissolve, Phineas-2 instinctively stepped forward, Ferb-2 and Platyborg behind him, and quickly removed the helmet. The two 2nd Dimension boys gasped at the sight of the motorcyclist's true identity.

"_Candace_?" asked Phineas-2.

Future Candace-2 stared at her brothers and flashed a small, calm smile. "Yes," she replied.

"But...but _why_?"

Future Candace-2 sighed. "In the future, the Freedom Fighters' numbers were dwindling, and you two were among those that still remained. However, it wouldn't be long until Phineas's troops found the remainder and slaughtered them, to get them out of the way. That was on my mind when Phineas approached me one day. He made me a deal: if I fight alongside him, he will spare you two once he finds what was left of the Freedom Fighters. He gave me 48 hours to think about it, and those 48 hours were the most heart-wrenching hours of my life, every second of it. I finally decided that I had to protect you, so I...I joined him."

"And look where that got you," replied Ferb-2, pointing at Future Candace-2's dissolving form; the woman smiled.

"I know. I guess I've learned my lesson." She stared deeply into her brothers as she was close to dissolving completely. "Tell my past self that protecting you two is not worth it. You two deserve more than this over-the-amount protection. You need some freedom. Tell her that."

Phineas-2 smiled. "We will."

Future Candace-2 smiled back and sighed. She then looked at Phineas-2 and Ferb-2 for one last time before dissolving completely. Meanwhile, the rest of the Freedom Fighters were dissolving as well. Future Irving and Future Albert high-fived one another before disappearing. Future Stacy and Future Coltrane were locked in a loving hug just seconds before they vanished. Future Jeremy told his past self to take good care of Candace before dissolving into dust. Future Gretchen hugged Future Isabella before she disappeared.

Future Django looked up at the cloudless sky, the bright sun, and sighed as he felt himself disappear.

"Well," he said to himself, "I guess this is it. Looks like this is gonna be a better future for them."

He felt a hand lock with his, and he looked at his side to see Future Adyson smiling at him.

"It's a better future for everyone, Django," the woman said. "Even ourselves. We've found the peace we needed. And now, we're about to endure it."

Future Django smiled back at her. "I'm already endured in mine."

Before Future Adyson can speak further, Future Django locked his lips with hers, and soon, the two were kissing lovingly, just seconds before they dissolved completely. Future Phineas and Future Isabella watched with a mingled sense of happiness and sadness as the couple disappeared. Then, Future Isabella looked at her longtime crush.

"Well, Phineas," she said, "looks like this is the end."

"It's never the end, Isabella," replied Future Phineas optimistically. "Who knows? Maybe we're gonna find ourselves living the lives of our past selves, since the timeline is being rebooted."

"I don't get what you're saying, Phineas, but I don't want to. For now, I just want these last seconds to count."

"Me too, Isabella."

The two immediately kissed, and Phineas watched sadly as the couple vanished from existence. A tear fell from his eye; Phineas felt pitiful towards the fact that Future Isabella only lived out her fantasy for a few seconds or so. At least things will be better for her and Future Phineas... Phineas then began to think about himself and Isabella. Now that he knew of Isabella's crush on him, and the fact that he accepted it, he wondered exactly what kind of future the two would lead, with the events that happened during the past week being left in their wake.

And speaking of Isabella...

Phineas turned to Ferb and asked, "Where's Isabella?"

"She and Gretchen went to get the molecular separator," replied Ferb. "They should be near the wreckage of the Paper Pelican..."

Phineas immediately walked towards the wreckage at a fast pace, followed by the others, and soon saw Isabella, Vivian, Jack, the Fireside Girls, Django, and the Firestorm Girls conversing with a black-haired man, who had a little girl standing beside him as she clutched a Ducky Momo doll. A muscular man watched with increasing boredom as he was restrained by the Firestorm Girls' rope. When the group drew nearer, Linda gasped when she recognized the unidentified man as David and attempted to stop Phineas, but he broke into a run when he recognized Isabella's tone towards her father as both fearful and enraged, believing his friend to be in danger.

"DON'T TELL ME THAT!" Isabella screamed. "YOU'RE NOT MY **FATHER**!"

Phineas immediately jumped between Isabella and David, and both gasped.

"You leave her alone, whoever you are!" snarled Phineas.

"It looks like you've been cured of your evil, Phineas," David replied, examining Phineas's blue eyes. "Congratulations!"

"Phineas!"

Linda rushed between Phineas and David, defending her son from the former bomber.

"You're not gonna hurt my family again," Linda said, "so stay back, or else!"

"_Again_?" repeated Phineas. "Mom..._what_ are you talking about?"

Linda gulped, realizing her mistake. Ever since she learned from Vivian that David was responsible for Phillip's death, she knew that she mustn't let Phineas find out. But now that she unintentionally gave away an important hint, Linda knew that she couldn't fool her son easily and that it was time to come clean.

"Phineas," she replied, "this man..._killed_ your father."

Phineas felt the entire world slip away, being replaced with a fiery rage. He had known for a long time that Phillip's death was murder, but he never considered the fact that he would be facing his father's killer. And now that he was, all Phineas felt now was anger.

"YOU!" Phineas roared. "YOU KILLED MY FATHER!"

David sighed. "I regret it..." he replied.

"Why?" Phineas screamed as everyone held him back, to prevent him from charging at David. "Why did you kill him? He did NOTHING to you!"

"I know. And I guess that's what made me do it. You see, I grew up without being loved. My parents absolutely HATED me. They abused me, treated me like dirt. And then, _she_ arrived." He pointed at Vivian. "She saved me from that horrible life. But I guess that wasn't enough for me. I grew up knowing that everyone else had a better childhood than I did, that I was the only one out there, and I hated the world for that. No one was spared from my hatred. Finally, I just...snapped. I founded the Tri-State Bombers and began terrorizing the area, ensuring that everyone was pulled down to the same level of misery that I suffered. And I won.

"...And I regret the victory now. By making sure everyone suffers, I've realized that I had become the very thing my parents were: hateful and relying on suffering. Now that I've made the world a terrible place for many, I heavily wish that I can just go back and stop myself from making all of this happen. But I can't. The best thing I can do now is apologize. And I wanna tell you that I'm sorry, for everything. I just wanted to make everything in the world equal, so then I don't have to be the only one to suffer a terrible childhood."

"You're not the only one."

Everyone looked at Ferb, who stepped forward, pity in his eyes.

"Pardon me?" asked David.

"You're not the only one who suffered," replied Ferb. "..._I_ suffered a terrible childhood too. My mother, back in England, was so abusive towards me whenever my father was away at work. I still can't forget all of the derisive comments she made towards me, that hateful glance she always gives me. It was so terrible that I became mostly silent. I too, hate everyone for having a better life than I did. But I didn't act. That's because I found something to live for, before I could snap. And that was my family. My new family." He pointed at the rest of the Flynn-Fletcher family. "And I'm sure _you_ still have something to live for too."

David didn't reply; instead, he just looked at Ferb, shock in his eyes. Finally, he smiled happily.

"I guess I'm not alone after all," he said.

"Yes, yes you aren't."

* * *

The rest of the week's end was spent putting Danville back to normal. Doofenshmirtz modified his Rebuild-My-Lair-Inator to have enough strength to clean up and repair many wrecked streets, while Phineas and Ferb's inventions handled what was left. Poofenplotz activated her Bring-Back-To-Life-Acator's special mechanism and fired a laser at the ground, which sent out a shock wave that resurrected everyone who had been killed during the past week. Sally was reunited with her parents, and many people who were killed during the final battle celebrated at their second chance of living. Croachaye reunited with Bloodpudding, Diminuitive, Blair, and Tancien. Sid and Roderick were immediately tied up alongside Byron upon being resurrected.

After Danville was restored, the evacuated civilians moved back in, while everyone who was a member of the Red Triangle was arrested. Because they participated directly in the criminal activities, Doofenshmirtz and David were arrested like the rest despite defecting. However, they knew that it was worth it when Vanessa and Charlene hugged Doofenshmirtz to tell him that they forgive what he did to them initially, while David received his own loving hug, which was actually from Isabella, who developed a sense of pity towards him when he revealed his terrible background. Phineas also began to pity David, like he would to any other person, and forgave him for killing Phillip.

With everything taken care of, and evil defeated once again, the organizations that aided Ferb and the others now decided to leave. The Seattle O.W.C.A. agents, Agent Double 0-0 and the other British Spy Union spies, Meap and his Intergalactic Security Agency colleagues, and the Martians all used the portal to transport them back to their respective homes. Meanwhile, Phineas-2, Ferb-2, Platyborg, Candace-2, Doofenshmirtz-2, the rest of the Resistance, and the Norm Bots used the Other-Dimension-Inator to return to the 2nd Dimension, but not before bidding a well-hearted farewell to their 1st Dimension counterparts.

* * *

The moment the Other-Dimension-Inator portal closed with a comical pop, Phineas looked at Perry.

"So," he said to the platypus, "I guess that now we know you're a secret agent again, we must have our memories erased, am I correct?"

Perry nodded sadly, and the children all groaned.

"Sorry, everyone," announced Monogram, "but it's for the best."

"But we don't deserve to have our memories erased again!" cried Isabella. "I've just found my father, and also found out that my dog's a secret agent, like Perry! Phineas found closure to his father's death! Django and Adyson just fell in love!"

"No, we didn't!" Django and Adyson both replied simultaneously, blushing.

"Well, it's either remembering all that," Monogram replied, "or it's Agent P being sent away _forever_, as is Agent P. The dog Agent P."

"He's right."

General William Garrett stepped forward.

"One of the top policies of the O.W.C.A.," said the general, "is to relocate an agent if his or her secret identity has been blown. You are allowed to remember what transpired during the past week, but it's gonna have to come with a heavy price. But if you want both agents to stay, you're gonna have to forget absolutely _everything_."

Phineas and Ferb both looked at Perry. Sure, the events were memorable, no matter how terrible they also were, but to never see Perry again? Their platypus meant everything to them, as well as their friends. So what if he kept disappearing every day. It was just like the day of the 2nd Dimension; they both wanted to go for the amnesia.

"Amnesia it is," said Phineas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus concludes this chapter!
> 
> First off, in regards to Doofenshmirtz's so-called "death", I realized I missed a major opportunity here the first time I was writing this. Since everything from the start of the final battle to the end of it was so much like "Avengers: Endgame" in hindsight, it would've been so cool if I had everyone kneel before Doof's body in a show of respect. For those of you who are wondering, that would've been a reference to a deleted scene in "Endgame", where the Avengers kneel before Tony Stark's body in a similar show of respect for his sacrifice.
> 
> Of course, my teenage self would have had no idea of "Endgame" at the time, but that aside, it would've helped bring his character arc to what I believe is a better conclusion. Remember, through the fic, Doofenshmirtz has been torn between his professional career as an evil scientist and his personal desire to be a good husband and father. Now that he's chosen to fight on the side of good and died like a hero, having the rest of the cast kneel before this former evil scientist would have helped acknowledge his transition from evil to good. At least, that's how I view it. Ohhhhh, if only, if only...
> 
> Speaking of which, Professor Poofenplotz, the knockoff female version of Doofenshmirtz, shines for once in her life! YAY! :D
> 
> And here, the motorcyclist's identity is finally revealed. Not exactly what you were expecting, huh, new readers? Now, I have to tell you the truth; back then, I was originally going to have the motorcyclist be Future Django. But then, one of my old readers started to figure out the truth before I could even have a chance to drop hints on the twist. So, I decided to switch it up to Future Candace-2. To be honest, I think having the motorcyclist be Future Candace-2 was a good move in hindsight. The motorcyclist knew all of these sweet riding skills, moves, and maneuvers, and it would make a whole lot more sense if it was Future Candace-2 rather than Future Django, even though they're both still from the future. I think I am giving Django too much screentime and attention anyway. :P Also, the motorcyclist being Future Candace-2 is also a good service to the small character arc that I had set up for Phineas-2, Ferb-2, and Candace-2, so it was all good in the end. :D
> 
> As for Ferb's backstory, I don't really have the clearest memory on where it came from, but I think, just like how Phillip Flynn was someone else's OC in everything but name, said backstory was just like someone else's interpretation of him. If I can recall correctly, there was an OC out there by the name of Emily Fletcher, who was Ferb's abusive mother. Damn, if that's correct, I was such a shameless thief back then. Jeez.
> 
> And, of course, we have David's redemption arc. I really should have dropped more hints throughout the story if I really, really wanted this to happen.
> 
> Finally, I'm glad I had Professor Poofenplotz use her contraption to bring all the dead characters and civilians back to life. I mean, it's "Phineas and Ferb"; it'd be a mistake to leave people dead even when we have all these Inators, Inizers, and other inventions lying around as commonplace items. :D Although I wish I kept the death toll low in the first place...but I guess I can't do anything about it now.
> 
> Oh, Jesus H. Christ, I'm already rambling like Doofenshmirtz! XD Well, hope you enjoyed this little chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	26. Memories Lost Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Amnesia-Inator works its magic, and everyone has forgotten about the events that happened during the past week. But Perry finds that he doesn't approve of this anymore...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

The rest of the day was spent activating the Amnesia-Inator on every single person who participated in the past week's events, except for Perry and Pinky, of course. Everyone was inside the O.W.C.A. headquarters, which had been repaired by Doofenshmirtz's modified Rebuild-My-Lair-Inator, ready to be zapped by the Amnesia-Inator. However, since there was a lot of people who knew of the O.W.C.A., an amount that was way over the maximum capacity the Amnesia-Inator was capable of to zap multiple people at once, the massive group had to be split up into smaller sections.

Of course, the villains went first. Rodney, Helmetair, Sharpeard, Bulkare, Sid, Roderick, and Byron were all restrained by straitjackets, courtesy of Doofenshmirtz's Straitjacket-Inator, and brought before the Amnesia-Inator. They all tried struggling against their bonds, but it was useless, and they were all zapped within a second. Before being zapped, Rodney screeched out something that made both Perry and Doofenshmirtz laugh heartily: "CURSE YOU, DOOFENSHMIRTZ!"

Thaddeus, Thor, Mandy, and their friends all went next. Thaddeus and Thor both apologized to Phineas and Ferb for their behavior when the two duos first met, while Mandy also made amends of her own with Candace. Before being zapped, Thaddeus quickly tried to invent something that would allow his newfound friends to remember Perry's secret life, but he was caught by Monogram. Phineas thanked Thaddeus for his attempt, right before the group was zapped.

Jenny, Chad, Professor Poofenplotz, and the _Space Adventure_ and _Stumbleberry Finkbat_ fans were next in line. Pinky tipped his fedora to Poofenplotz as a sign of respect for her help, while Doofenshmirtz thanked his rival for resurrecting him, comically wincing all the while. Things became more comical when a _Stumbleberry Finkbat_ fan let slip a slightly critical remark about _Space Adventure_, and Carl had to quickly activate the Inator before another war can break out.

Bloodpudding, Diminuitive, Croachaye, Blair, and Tancien all went next. All of the scientists, except for Croachaye, of course, voiced their admissions that their period of being the good guys wasn't that bad at all, right before they were zapped.

The Fireside Girls (except for Gretchen and Adyson), Stacy, Jeremy, Suzy, Coltrane, and their parents were next. Isabella saluted her troop members, and Ginger seized her chance to admit her love towards Baljeet, planting a kiss on the nerd that left him speechless; Ginger high-fived her sister in triumph. Meanwhile Candace apologized to Jeremy and Stacy for her busting personality always interfering with their relationships. The two forgave her, knowing that it was a part of her nature and accepting it. Suzy silently ordered her pet poodle Sagave to attack Candace one last time before being zapped.

Soon, David, Sally, and her parents were told to step forward. David sighed and looked at Isabella and Vivian, while Sally and her parents stepped into the firing path of the Amnesia-Inator.

"Well," he said, "I guess this is goodbye, you two."

Isabella smiled and hugged her father lovingly. "Bye..._Dad_," she replied.

David smiled happily as he parted with his newfound daughter. Isabella's smile increased when she noticed the physical similarity between herself and David, now that she was seeing her father, the father she never knew for such a long while, smile for the first time.

"You know, Dad," she said, "before I met you, I had always imagined you to be like me: happy, sweet, optimistic, caring, spirited. But when I found out that you were my father, I was so shocked...and so _appalled_. My belief of what you were, what you _are_, was shattered. I mean, you were the complete opposite: cruel, sadistic, emotionless...a pure psychopath. I lost faith in myself, for I feared that I might've inherited some of your traits and grow up to become like you.

"But you restored that faith, Dad. For I know that underneath that horrifying shell of yours lies the father I initially envisioned. You demonstrated it when you saved us from one of your so-called friends. And even though I'll forget who you are, and you'll revert back into the monster you were, it makes me happy to know that even the most terrible person has a spark of good inside him or her. Well, except for the evil Phineas, but, yeah."

"Isa," replied David, "I too have lost faith in myself, a long time ago, when I started the Tri-State Bombers. I tried my best to control myself, but in the end, I winded up taking the same path any victim of abuse would take: a path of misery and doom. Even in recent times, I wondered if I was ever capable of love. But ever since I met you, I realized that I was. I mean, look at you! You're the sweetest person I would know, aside from your , I acted terribly towards you initially; maybe that's because I couldn't fully accept the fact that I had a spark of good burning inside me. But thanks to her-" He looked at Sally, who waved at him happily. "-I finally realized that I am. She reminded me of you, as well as a younger me; she was so innocent and full of life, but was in the face of evil tragedy. And I pitied her...and you.

"And now I seethe in hatred at the buffoons-" He stared daggers at Major Monogram and General Garrett; both superiors gulped nervously. "-who intend to erase my memory and turn me back into the monster I was, the cold, ruthless monster. But I know that it's probably for the best; you don't even deserve to know that your father had killed a lot of people, even though he demonstrated he was capable of love. I think you deserve a better father. A father like him."

He looked off somewhere, and Isabella followed his gaze; she saw that her father was looking at Jack, who was stroking Gretchen's hair as the two waited to be zapped by the Amnesia-Inator.

"I've seen how much he cares for you, Isa," continued David, "and I know that while I won't remember you upon being zapped by that thing, _he_ will. I think you deserve him over me."

Before Isabella can speak, David looked at Vivian. "Take good care of our little girl, Vivian," he said. "And make sure that this Jack is a good father figure towards her."

Vivian nodded. "I will," she replied. She then bent down and the three Garcia-Shapiros embraced each other in a hug. Everyone smiled, and Perry and Carl looked at Monogram, noticing something.

"Sir, are you crying?" Carl asked.

"No, I'm sweating through my eyes again," replied the superior, straining not to cry as David gave one last kiss to Isabella and Vivian before joining Sally and her parents.

Tears flowing from her eyes, Isabella stepped forward and waved at David. "Bye, Dad!" she said.

David smiled, tears cascading from his eyes too, and he waved at his daughter. "Bye, Isa!"

And with that, Carl pressed a button, and a bright light enveloped David, Sally, and her parents. Isabella watched sadly as the four fell to the floor, sleep-induced. She felt both sad and enraged; she had just forgiven her father for his actions a few hours ago, and now, he has to forget and become malevolent again. A hand placed itself on her shoulder comfortingly, and Isabella looked up, expecting to see her mother, but she saw Jack instead.

"It's okay, Isabella," he said. Isabella smiled sadly and embraced him in a hug, sobbing.

"Alright, Group #7!" called Monogram, wiping the tears from his eyes. "You're next!"

Django, Adyson, and their parents walked into the firing path of the Amnesia-Inator. Sighing, Django looked at Adyson and spoke.

"Well, at least I get to forget what I did to make all of this happen."

Adyson smiled sadly and replied, "But we're gonna forget about each other. Sure, we see each other every day when we go to Phineas and Ferb's; it's just that we won't know of the love we established."

"Don't worry. We have something that'll always be with us."

"And what's that?"

"Oh, Addie! You seriously forgot? It's hope!"

Adyson's smile of sadness turned into that of happiness.

"Oh, Django!" she exclaimed as she locked her lips with his and the two began kissing with all of their might; their parents were slightly taken aback by this sudden move, but then, they nodded with approval.

"Okay, Carl, we're set!" announced Monogram, and Carl pressed the same button, to which a light flashed, enveloping the two families. Phineas and Isabella watched sadly as Django and Adyson, both induced with sleep, broke apart and fell to the floor along with their parents, no longer able to remember of their love.

"Okay, Group #8," Monogram announced, "you're next!"

"Oh, do we really have to?" asked Doofenshmirtz as he, Vanessa, Charlene, and Norm stepped into the firing path of the Amnesia-Inator. "I've stopped being evil, I swear! I won't return to my old ways and use the knowledge I just acquired to attack Perry the Platypus through his host family or something!"

"Sorry, Doofenshmirtz, but we can't take any promises."

"But I just made up with my daughter, ex-wife, and robot! I've learned the value of family over evil! What about that?"

"Like I said, Doofenshmirtz, we can't take any promises. Carl, we're set!"

Doofenshmirtz growled and yelled out, "CURSE YOU, MAJOR MONOBROW!" He then turned to Vanessa, Charlene, and Norm. "Guys, I love you all," he said quickly. "I hope this event is a defining moment in our-"

"Hit it, Carl!" interrupted Monogram rudely.

Perry looked at his superior, outraged at Monogram's behavior, as Carl reluctantly pressed the button before Doofenshmirtz can finish his speech. The platypus then watched as his arch-nemesis and the scientist's family fell to the floor, asleep. Perry chattered quietly, but angrily; he just couldn't bear to watch all of those who knew of his status as a secret agent get their memories unceremoniously erased. However, an unseen force seemed to hold his intention to stop all of this back.

"Group #9, you're next!"

Isabella, Vivian, Jack, and Gretchen walked towards the Amnesia-Inator; however, Isabella stopped midway and looked at Pinky, who was still trembling.

"Pinky," she said, "it was a pleasure to know that you're able to make a difference in the Tri-State Area. And I'm so glad to be your owner. I hope to see you soon, Pinky."

Pinky smiled and tipped his fedora at his owner as she joined her mother, Gretchen, and Jack.

Phineas felt his hand tremble, and he instinctively rolled it up into a balled fist to stop it, but the shaking was stubborn and refused to stop. He didn't know what to do: he now knew that Isabella had a crush on him for a long time, and he knew that he returned it. It was his chance to show Isabella how much he loves her, but he was nervous. After all, Phineas had been unable to understand romance, and he still does.

And then, he realized all of the times Isabella helped him with his and Ferb's inventions. She had contributed so much help when he needed it the most, but the best he can do to reward her is a mere thank-you. Phineas knew that Isabella deserved more than that. He had known her for so long, and he wanted to slap himself for being unaware of her current feelings. And now that his chance to give Isabella something more than a thank-you was present, Phineas knew that he must take it.

Mustering up all of the courage he had, Phineas walked forward at a fast pace towards Isabella and immediately seized her. Before she can say anything, Phineas immediately kissed her, right on the lips. It was a brief kiss, but it felt like the both of them had gone into a personal heaven for several hours. Immediately breaking away from Isabella, Phineas took a couple of steps backward away from her, watching as the happy shock flood his lover's face.

"_Phineas_!" exclaimed Isabella.

"Hit it, Carl!" Phineas said.

"Wait, wait, WAIT!" Isabella protested, but Carl had already pressed the button, and Phineas watched as Isabella, Vivian, Gretchen, and Jack fell to the floor, asleep.

"And last, but not least, Group #10! You're next!"

The Flynn-Fletcher family stepped forward, in front of the Amnesia-Inator. Phineas and Ferb looked at Perry, and the two boys smiled; the platypus smiled back.

"Well," said Phineas, "I guess this is it, Perry. Again."

Perry nodded, a sad smile on his face. He procured his notebook and wrote something in it before displaying it for his host family to see.

_"Thanks, you guys, for being the best host family an O.W.C.A. agent can ask for."_

Phineas's smile became more pronounced. "Aw, you're welcome, Perry. And thanks, for being the best pet a family can ask for."

_"Aw, you're welcome, Phineas."_

Linda, Lawrence, and Candace smiled, before Candace looked at Ferb, who was still as silent as ever.

"Got anything to say, Ferb?" the redheaded teenager asked.

Ferb looked at Phineas before smiling and bursting into song.

_Now me and my bro, we're takin' care of things  
_ _Went from a pair of jokers to a couple of kings  
_ _It goes to show you never know just what a shuffle brings  
_ _Me and my bro, we're takin' care of things_

Phineas then joined in with Ferb.

_I'll tell you up front that I've got your back  
_ _And I know that you've got mine  
_ _As long as we stick together side by side  
_ _Yo, bro, it's gonna turn out fine  
_ _Yo, bro, it's gonna turn out fine_

_Now me and my bro, we're takin' care of things  
_ _Went from a pair of jokers to a couple of kings  
_ _It goes to show you never know just what a shuffle brings  
_ _Me and my bro, we're takin' care of things_

Ferb sighed happily and said, "Phineas, thank you for being the best brother ever."

"You're welcome, Ferb," replied Phineas.

Both boys then turned to Perry and smiled at their pet before looking at Carl.

"Hit it, Carl!" both cried, and Carl nodded.

Perry was the last thing the Flynn-Fletchers saw just as the intern pressed the button, and a flash of white light filled their sights. A second later, everything became black...

* * *

Perry watched as the O.W.C.A. employees began transporting the sleeping bodies of Phineas, Ferb, Candace, Isabella, Doofenshmirtz, and everyone else who knew of his and Pinky's secret away, out of the O.W.C.A. headquarters, while Carl used the Amnesia-Inator on the rest of Danville, to ensure that the other civilians forget of what had progressed during the past week. He had been expecting the second time to see this happen to be not as painful, but the platypus found himself wrong. Never before had his heart been so hurt. A lot had happened within the past week, both good and bad things, but they were events that deserved to be remembered. And now, it was the day of the 2nd Dimension all over again.

The platypus threw a glance at General Garrett, who was talking to Monogram. Perry had always respected the agency and its principles, no matter how silly they could be, but this newest decision had broken through a whole new level of uncalled-for. And now, he was feeling a new emotion: hatred. Hatred towards the O.W.C.A. Because of its number-one rule, a lot of things were undone. Phineas and Isabella finding out about their love for one another, and the same went for Django and Adyson. Doofenshmirtz defecting to the side of good, for...well, good. Isabella meeting her long-lost father. Candace no longer having the urge to bust her brothers. A lot had happened ever since the day he fought L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. over the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator, and now, it was all undone. Non-canon. Forgotten. Gone with the ages.

And Perry didn't like that at all.

_"Perry?"_ someone barked. _"You okay?"_

Perry turned to see Pinky approaching him, trembling as usual.

_"Yeah, I'm okay,"_ Perry chattered in response.

Pinky's eyes softened, and the Chihuahua sat beside his friend. _"I know you're not okay, and it's completely fine. I know how you feel-"_

_"You know how I _feel_?"_ Perry asked, outraged. _"Pinky, you _don't_ know how I feel! This is worse than you think it is! My owners have done a lot of things during the past week, but now, all of these things are now left to lay in waste! Maybe you'd know that once Isabella finds out about your secret life for the second time!"_

_"She _DID_!"_ replied Pinky, shocking Perry.

_"She _did_? When was that?"_

_"During the day of the 2nd Dimension. She spotted me fighting those Norm Bots and encountered me at the O.W.C.A. headquarters while she and the others were waiting for the Amnesia-Inator to be prepared. The two of us had a little 'talk', and she accepted me for who I secretly was. It pained me to know that she had to forget who I was, and my pain doubled when she had to forget once again. But I knew during both occasions that it's for the best. After all, the second time they found out, they experienced a lot of terrible stuff, stuff that adults deal with, not children!"_

Perry was taken aback by his friend's revelation. He obviously never knew that Isabella discovered Pinky's secret identity before.

_"Why didn't you tell me this before, Pinky?"_ he asked. _"It might've been a great comfort!"_

_"You were in so much pain after their memories were erased, Perry. I didn't want to make things worse."_

Perry turned away from Pinky as an O.W.C.A. intern loaded Phineas's sleeping body, the last of such, into an O.W.C.A.-owned van that drove off. The platypus's bill trembled sadly, and Pinky placed a paw on his friend's shoulder.

_"It's okay, Perry,"_ he barked.

Perry looked at Pinky, then shrugged off the dog's paw and walked away towards his hover-jet, boarding and activating it.

_"I appreciate your help, Pinky,"_ he chattered, _"but it's _not_ okay to me. It just isn't."_

Pinky watched pitifully as Perry's hover-jet floated above the ground and flew away.

_"Oh, Perry..."_ thought Pinky.

* * *

Landing inside his secret base underneath the Flynn-Fletcher house, Perry stepped out of his hover-jet and examined Phineas and Ferb's inventions, which had been moved into their special compartment by O.W.C.A. employees in the aftermath of the final battle. They were all so majestic and so wonderful, and the platypus sighed as he stared on, wishing that his owners were still able to remember.

The platypus then stepped into the elevator that took him to the Flynn-Fletcher backyard and pressed a button. He felt the platform underneath him ascend, and after a minute, it stopped, and a hatch opened, bathing Perry in the evening sunlight. He jumped through the hatch and immediately reverted into his pet mode, as he saw Phineas and Ferb lying underneath the repaired backyard tree, staring at the sky aimlessly. Phineas turned his head and smiled at the sight of his pet platypus.

"Oh, there you are, Perry," he said.

_"Hi, guys,"_ Perry chattered glumly, but of course, the two boys couldn't understand him. Instead, Phineas just continued.

"You know, I can't remember what we did during the past week. This is the second time this happened, only this time, it's a week and not a day. Weird, I never forget what exciting things happened to us."

"I'm pretty sure it was the best week ever, though," replied Ferb.

"Yes, yes, I think so too, Ferb."

Perry smiled, realizing that Pinky was right. Had they known of the terrible events that transpired during that week, then it definitely wouldn't be classified as 'best'.

_"Maybe it _is_ for the best,"_ thought the platypus as he followed his owners inside the house.

Little did Perry, Phineas, or Ferb notice that someone was watching them.

* * *

Wallace adjusted the radio of his father's RV, searching for any news that would catch his attention. All the while, he was watching as his younger sister Jamie exploring the desert that was the current environment. The teenage boy's eyes then widened when he saw Jamie run off at a distance not suitable to him and abandoned his post, stepping out of the RV and running out into the open area, away from the gas station and towards his sister.

"Jamie!" exclaimed Wallace, catching the girl's attention. "Remember what Dad told us! Never wander far from the family!"

"Sorry, Wally!" replied Jamie, running towards him. "I was just chasing a funny-looking salamander!"

"Well, don't. What would've happened had I not spotted you wandering away? Well, at least I got you. Now, let's get back to Dad before he starts to worry."

"Okay!" Jamie replied cheerfully, and she accompanied her brother back to the gas station. There, Wallace watched as their father, Frank, continued to pump gas into the RV.

"Jamie nearly wandered off?" asked Frank, not looking at the price meter as it continued to rise.

"Yeah, Dad," replied Wallace. "Don't worry, I got her."

"Good. Put her back in the RV; we're almost done."

Wallace nodded and escorted Jamie into the RV. Stepping inside, the teenager examined the map of the U.S.A., which had many pins impaled over the cities and towns they had visited. He was surprised to find that they have been all over the country, in so many different locations.

_"Wow,"_ thought Wallace. _"This certainly is one long chase."_

Wallace and Jamie then approached the radio, just as an announcement was being made. Wallace stopped, the announcement catching his attention.

_ **"And authorities in Danville, Tri-State Area, have just reported the arrests of four criminals that have been on the run for several years now. All four were responsible for a series of deadly bombings all over the region."** _

Wallace's eyes widened, and he stuck his head out of the open RV window, looking at Frank, who was still looking at the price meter.

"Dad?" he asked.

"Yes, Wallace?"

"I think we've found our big break."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that just about concludes this long-awaited chapter! Indeed, it looks like things wound up the way they were in the 2nd Dimension movie. I first conceived this idea of a bait-and-switch regarding the turn of events because I thought it would sort of subvert the usual outcome of high-stakes fics like this at the time. They always end on a happy note, with the whole group being allowed to know of Perry's secret identity and the like. I wanted to make all my readers think the fic would end on a more bittersweet note, only to take them on one last spin of the action.
> 
> In hindsight, though, I suppose I was just dragging the fic on longer than necessary. The new reviews I'm getting here have lamented on how the last fifth of the story was unnecessary, and how I could have ended it all here somehow. I'm honestly inclined to agree now. I've gone through the documents that I have on this fic, and I feel like the ACTUAL final showdown was unnecessary, as much as I liked how I wrote it. But I digress.
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this late chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	27. Two Unexpected Visits and an Odd Inator

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Forgetting what happened during the past week, Doofenshmirtz decides to build a Remember-Inator, but winds up finding a secret ability of the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator. Meanwhile, the Flynn-Fletchers receive a shocking visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

_ **Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated!** _

Doofenshmirtz opened his eyes and stared at the tiled, well-cleaned ceiling of his bedroom. Standing up, he looked at his clock aimlessly before scratching his head. He could've _sworn_ he did something during the past week, but the evil scientist can't remember a thing. Just like that one time he couldn't remember what he did a day ago. It was quite strange for this to happen again indeed.

"Hmm... I wonder if I should build a Remember-Inator..." mused Doofenshmirtz, stepping out of his bedroom and into the main laboratory.

"Good morning, sir!" Norm suddenly greeted, stepping out of his own bedroom. Doofenshmirtz yelped, momentarily startled, before staring angrily at his robotic servant.

"NORM!" he roared. "Don't scare me while I'm thinking!"

"What're thinking about, sir?"

"I-" began Doofenshmirtz, but then, his face hardened in concentration as he delved into his mind. "I...I really don't know. I just have this strange feeling I did something _really_ important last week, but I don't remember a thing. This is the second time this happened..."

"Do you wanna build a Remember-Inator, sir?"

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Norm, go get my toolbox! We're gonna start building!"

"Yes, sir!" Norm turned to leave, but then he stopped and faced his creator. "By the way, what do you want me to do with that?"

Norm pointed at a corner, and Doofenshmirtz followed the direction of the metallic finger to find that he was pointing at the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator, sitting there in a rather lonely position, shrouded in the corner's shadow. The scientist raised an eyebrow at the sight; he specifically remembered the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator being short-circuited and useless by Perry when he attempted to use it to turn the platypus agent evil. And Doofenshmirtz definitely remembered not bothering to rebuild it.

"What the hippopotamus?" Doofenshmirtz cried. "Norm, did I rebuild the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator?"

"There's nothing in my memory bank that suggests such an event occurring, sir," replied Norm. Doofenshmirtz's eyes widened in confusion. If he didn't rebuild the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator, then _who_ did?

"Change of plans, Norm. Let's bring the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator to the middle of my lab. We're gonna examine it."

"Yes, sir!" And then, Norm turned his hands into grappling-hook launchers, which he fired at the Inator. The hooks lodged themselves into the contraption, and Norm pulled it to the middle of the main laboratory. The robot then retracted the hooks and turned the launchers back into his hands. Doofenshmirtz watched the entire scene with awe.

"Wow. I _really_ need to read your instruction manual sometime."

"Yes, yes you do. ...Why do I get the feeling that we said this before?"

"Enough of this, Norm. Let's examine it! If I didn't rebuild the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator, then we must see what kind of modifications there are. That way we can find out who rebuilt this!"

"You can find out the one who rebuilt the Inator just by looking at the _modifications_?" Norm asked, puzzled.

"Every evil scientist has his own inventing style," explained Doofenshmirtz. "For example, I add self-destruct buttons on my Inators. If another evil scientist finds a self-destruct button on the Inator, he can type up those aspects onto the Worldwide Evildoer Database, or W.E.D., and it'll trim the list down until said scientist finds certain villains that put self-destruct buttons on their contraptions, including me! So, if we find a peculiar aspect of design on this Inator, then we can type it into the W.E.D. and find a list of potential scientists who built this!"

"Wow. For a villain who keeps being thwarted on a daily basis, you sure know your material."

"Why, thank you Norm." Doofenshmirtz's eyes then narrowed angrily. "HEY! I do _not_ get thwarted on a daily basis! Those were all just phased withdrawals!"

"Uh-huh..."

Doofenshmirtz groaned before examining the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator.

"Hmmmm..." he said. "This entire design looks practically identical to my way of making the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator. Norm, are you sure you can't remember me rebuilding this?"

"No, sir. Either it didn't happen or I was zapped by an Amnesia-Inator or something."

"And we all know that the latter definitely didn't happen..." Suddenly, Doofenshmirtz instinctively sensed something being lacked on the Inator; he searched around. Finally, he said, "Wait a minute, there's no self-destruct button!"

"Is that helpful, sir?"

"No, we need more info! We need to keep searching! Why aren't you helping, Norm?"

"I wasn't programmed to remember your style of inventing, sir."

Doofenshmirtz groaned and replied, "Well, just keep me entertained then!"

"Okay, sir!" Norm pressed a button on his shoulder, and his mouth transformed into a loudspeaker, which began singing a song.

_My mother's love was always inexplicably linked to kickball,_   
_And my brother was an ex-_

Doofenshmirtz roared, "NO! NOT THAT! ANYTHING ABOUT THAT, NORM! IT BRINGS BACK MEMORIES!"

"Sorry, sir." Norm then began singing another song.

_Back in class, Evil 101_   
_I always had so much fun_   
_Though the one who advised me, openly despise-_

"NOT THAT EITHER, NORM!"

"Sorry, sir." With that, Norm switched to a different song.

_Back in Gimmelshtump,_   
_I always had to keep it real!_   
_'Cause when you grow up in Gimmelshtump,_   
_Your childhood is less than i-_

"You know what, Norm?" Doofenshmirtz cried, standing up. "Just stay quiet, all right?"

"But didn't you want any entertainment, sir?"

"Then scratch that order!" Doofenshmirtz flailed his arms as he cried out, and one of his gangly fingers accidentally hit a green switch and activated it. The scientist looked at the switch curiously, as a humming sound flowed from the Inator. "Hmm... I don't remember installing _that_ switch..." He then spotted a post-it taped beside the switch, and it appeared to read something.

"'Flick switch on in case of emergency'?" read Doofenshmirtz, puzzled. He then noticed the humming sound and stepped away from the Inator, as did Norm. The two watched as a green light shined itself from the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator...

* * *

Phineas opened his eyes to the sound of Perry's chatter and smiled at his pet platypus, while Ferb sat up on his bed.

"Good morning, Perry," he said. "You know, I don't care if we are unable to remember what happened during the past week. As long as we have you, then life is perfect!"

Phineas didn't notice as Perry smiled at this compliment. Instead, he picked up the platypus and followed Ferb into the bathroom, where they brushed their teeth and gave Perry a bath. After they were done, Ferb carried Perry out of the room, followed by Phineas, and the trio went downstairs where they found Candace talking away on her cell phone in the living room and Linda and Lawrence at the kitchen.

"Morning, Mom," greeted Phineas, entering the kitchen with Ferb and Perry. "Morning, Dad."

"Good morning, boys," Lawrence replied. "How was yesterday?"

"I really don't know. I don't remember a thing about yesterday, or even the past week. Ferb, do you remember?"

Ferb shook his head, as silently as ever. Linda and Lawrence looked at their sons, shocked.

"That's weird," said Linda. "_We_ don't remember what happened during the past week either."

"Candace doesn't either," Lawrence added, scratching his forehead. "We asked her."

"Well, that's odd..." Phineas noted, walking out of the kitchen, followed by Ferb. "Maybe if we can invent something that'll help restore lost memories..." Phineas eyes brightened, a brilliant idea forming in his mind. "Ferb, I know what we're gonna do today!"

"Oh, no you don't!" said Candace, who happened to be nearby. "There is NO way I am gonna let you build something and then get the Mysterious Force to make it disappear! It's a good thing Mom's here; that way I'll bust you before she can leave home and start the pattern again! MOM! MOM! MOM!"

"Yes, honey?" Linda asked, entering the room.

"Phineas and Ferb are planning to make a machine that restores memories!"

"Why that's lovely, dear!" replied Linda, obviously not believing Candace. "When you two boys are done, can you let me and your dad become the first test subjects?"

"Sure thing, Mom!" Phineas said, turning to Ferb. "Come on, Ferb! Let's start building!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Candace ranted. "And Mom can watch! Come on, Mom, come on, COME ON!"

"Okay..." And with that, Linda followed a frantic Candace into the backyard. Phineas looked at Ferb and the two stepbrothers shrugged at one another before he noticed something.

"Hey, where's Perry?"

* * *

Perry had snuck away while Phineas was talking to his parents and jumped into an air vent, not bearing witness to Phineas and Ferb's plan to create a machine that restores memories. Immediately feeling himself falling, the platypus professionally braced himself as he landed on a convertible sized specifically for him. Activating the engine, he drove the car around a corner and stopped. Stepping out of the car, he approached an elevator and pressed the 'Down' button. The elevator doors slid open, revealing a trembling Pinky.

_"Hi, Perry!"_ he barked.

_"Hi, Pinky,"_ chattered Perry in reply as he stepped into the elevator. The doors closed themselves, and both agents felt the platform descend. As it continued, Pinky spoke again.

_"So, how's things at your host family's home?"_ he asked.

_"It's good. No one in the family remembers a thing. How about Isabella? What's up with her?"_

_"She doesn't remember anything either. Her Fireside Girl friends also don't seem to display any behavior that suggests they remember something."_

_"That's good,"_ Perry replied glumly. Even though he accepted the fact that it was for the best for his owners to not remember, it still didn't suit the agent right. He felt torn. Pinky noticed his friend's behavior and placed a paw on Perry's shoulder.

_"It's okay, Perry,"_ he barked comfortingly. _"It'll get better; it always has. I mean, it did after the day of the 2nd Dimension."_

_"Let's hope so,"_ Perry chattered blankly. Just then, the elevator doors slid open, revealing Perry's base. The two agents tipped their fedora hats at one another before Perry ran out of the elevator and into his base.

Seating himself on the red chair, Perry watched as the face of Monogram filled the screen. The platypus involuntarily clenched his fist; he remembered how rude Monogram was, especially when it came to erasing Doofenshmirtz's memories. But, he eased his temper, remembering his O.W.C.A. training, and listened as the major spoke.

"Good morning, Agent P," he greeted. "I hope you're adjusting well to the aftermath of seeing your owners' memories being erased for the second time."

_"Yeah,"_ chattered Perry sarcastically. _"I'm livin' the dream."_

Fortunately, Monogram couldn't understand the agent, as usual. Instead, he continued, giving Perry his latest mission. "Our spies have seen a green light emanate from Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated. While we don't know what exactly is going on in there, we have a feeling that it isn't all that good. I want you to fly over to DEI and investigate at once. Monogram out."

Perry immediately hopped out of his seat and jumped into his hover-jet, switching on the engine and flying out of his base. Monogram watched the entire scene unfold, wide-mouthed.

"Carl," he said, "did Agent P just leave without _saluting me_?"

"I think you better give him a break, sir," the intern replied. "Agent P's still adjusting, remember? Besides, I'm confident that was unintentional."

Little did Carl or Monogram know that this failure to salute was completely intentional.

* * *

Lawrence watched as Candace half-dragged Linda into the backyard and chuckled slightly at his stepdaughter's antics. Then, he watched Phineas and Ferb enter the backyard, carrying a toolbox, and the man chuckled heartily. He knew the two boys were going to invent something; unlike Linda, he saw several of his sons' amazing contraptions. Lawrence decided to let things proceed, knowing that Linda didn't see what Phineas and Ferb were capable of and deserved to know.

Before he can begin washing the dishes, Lawrence heard the ringing of the doorbell reverberate through the house. Raising an eyebrow, the British man walked towards the front door.

_"Odd,"_ he thought. _"We weren't expecting any visitors..."_

Unlocking the door, Lawrence slowly opened it and examined the three people standing at the doorstep. One was a man around Linda's age, who sported dirty-blond hair and was wearing aged, somewhat dusty clothes. Another was a teenager with brown hair; he was wearing a light blue shirt and brown shorts. Finally, there was a young girl, whose brown eyes looked up at Lawrence with such intense cuteness that it could rival Isabella's; she was wearing a brown shirt and blue jeans.

"Hello," greeted the man, "does Linda Flynn live here?"

"Yes, yes she does," Lawrence replied curiously. "Why?"

"I need to see her," the man said. "It's kinda urgent."

"Um, oookkkaaayyy... Wait here for a sec..." Lawrence immediately walked away and soon entered the backyard, where he found Phineas and Ferb unpacking their toolbox and Linda and Candace sitting on two chairs, watching the boys. Linda was wearing an expression of curiosity, while Candace looked eager with a tint of near-insanity.

"Uh, honey?"

"Yes, Lawrence," Linda replied, looking away from Phineas and Ferb.

"Can you come to the front door? There are people here to see you."

"Uh, okay?"

"WHAT? **NO**!" screeched Candace. "YOU CAN'T LEAVE, MOM! YOU HAVE TO SEE WHAT PHINEAS AND FERB DO EVERY DAY! IF YOU LEAVE, THE MYSTERIOUS FORCE WILL TAKE AWAY WHATEVER CONTRAPTION THEY PLAN ON MAKING! NO, MOM! _DON'T LEAVE_!"

"Candace, relax," said Linda. "I'm only a few feet away from the boys. I doubt I'm gonna missing anything."

Before Candace can protest further, Linda had already stood up and left for the front door. Phineas, Ferb, and Candace watched as their parents entered the house.

"Well, that was weird," Phineas said. "Ah well. Let's get this show on the road, shall we?"

"But, but, but, but, but..." babbled Candace stupidly.

* * *

Linda had reached the front door, and the moment she saw the visitors, her mouth dropped open at the sight of the adult.

"F-Fr-Frank?" Linda asked in shock. Frank gasped upon seeing Linda.

"Linda!" he greeted. "Oh my God, it's so good to see you again! It's been a while!"

"Yeah, like seven years..."

"Uh, I don't mean to ruin this moment," interjected Lawrence, "but, Linda? How d'you know this man?"

"Oh, sorry Lawrence." Linda pointed at Frank and the children. "This is Frank Flynn and his children Wallace and Jamie."

"Uuuuuhhhhh... _Flynn_?" Lawrence asked.

"Yeah. Look Lawrence, I didn't tell you this, because it would remind me of painful memories. But now that you know that we know each other, I guess it's time to tell the truth. Frank is Phillip's brother, and my brother-in-law."

* * *

Isabella watched from her bedroom window as the RV pulled up beside the sidewalk adjacent to the Flynn-Fletcher house. She watched curiously as the vehicle's occupants, a man and two children, stepped out and walked up to the front door of the house. Examining the adult, the ten-year-old girl found that he bore a striking resemblance to someone, but she can't recall exactly who.

Wanting to find out what's going on, Isabella immediately traveled downstairs and approached the front door, just as someone knocked on the door nine times in a specific, rhythmic pattern. Knowing that it was one of her Fireside Girls, Isabella opened the door to see Katie. However, she noticed that her friend was in casual wear of a green shirt with a blue skirt.

"Hi, Katie," greeted Isabella. "Whatcha-"

"Sorry, Izzie," Katie interrupted, "but no time for that! I need you to come with me to the Fireside Girls clubhouse immediately! I'll explain everything over there!"

"Sure. But first, I need to see what kind of visitors Phineas and Ferb are dealing with..." Isabella prepared to cross the street, towards 2308 Maple Drive, but Katie stopped her.

"Don't worry about them, Izzie. Those guys are friends, I know it."

"And how do you know, Katie?"

"I'll explain it all at the clubhouse. Just come with me, quick!"

Isabella was confused with her friend. "What's with the rush, Katie?"

"JUST COME ON!"

And with that, Katie was half-dragging Isabella away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's the continuation of the Frank arc! Man, I forgot a lot about this part of the fic. It looks like I made Phineas and Ferb a little genre-savvy by having them invent a machine that restores memories and reverses the effects of amnesia. Oh, if only, if only Dan and Swampy made them that self-aware in canon...
> 
> Also, obviously Doofenshmirtz needs to rethink his entire catalogue of songs. Especially those about him, specifically. XD
> 
> And also, what's up with Katie? Why is she behaving so strangely? Stay tuned!
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this somewhat late chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	28. Surprising Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phineas meets his uncle for the first time in years. Meanwhile, Perry arrives at DEI and finds something he hoped he'd never see, while Katie tells Isabella of her "urgent news".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! I apologize for the month-long wait that I made you guys go through, but if you've been following my profile, I've been preoccupied with other projects and a bunch of IRL stuff since the start of the new year. And I was originally going to make you guys wait a little longer too. But then, a little last-minute change to my schedule has given me enough time to polish this chapter for republication, so there's that.
> 
> Anyway, enough with all the little explanations! On with the chapter! ENJOY! And a belated Happy New Year to every one of you! :D
> 
> P.S.: Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

Phineas and Ferb hadn't even started building their memory-restoring machine, for Linda had stuck her head out of the open door and called them and Candace.

"Kids, can you come inside? There's someone I want you to meet."

"Wait, NO!" shrieked Candace, her eye twitching. Linda examined her teenage daughter curiously, an eyebrow raised.

"What d'you mean by 'no'?" she asked. Candace gulped nervously, but then smiled craftily, a plan forming in her mind.

"I mean, Phineas and Ferb are in the midst of building something, Mom. It's rude to interrupt them. Why don't you bring this person to the backyard, so we can be formally introduced to him or her while Phineas and Ferb are _building their thingamajig_?"

Linda still looked at Candace curiously before replying, "I guess that can work."

And with that, she stepped out of the house, followed by Lawrence, Frank, Wallace, and Jamie. Candace's eyes suddenly widened at the sight of Frank, all thought of busting Phineas and Ferb slipping away from her mind with such fascinating speed.

"Uncle Frank?" the redhead asked in awe.

"Well, well, well," replied Frank, smiling, "if it isn't little Candy! My, look at how much you've grown!"

Candace squealed, jumped from her chair, and sprinted towards Frank, embracing him in a tight hug.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Frank exclaimed. "Settle down, Candy!"

Candace parted with Frank and replied, "I haven't seen you in a while! Where have you been?"

"Traveling abroad."

Phineas and Ferb were watching with intense curiously as the scene unfolded. They obviously didn't know these strangers, and yet, their parents and Candace seemed to treat them like the best of friends. Wanting answers, Phineas walked towards Linda, each step hesitant.

"Mom?" he asked. "Who are these people?"

Frank looked at Phineas, smiled, and bent down towards the inventor. "Hey, sport! Look at how much _you've_ grown!"

Phineas tilted his head like a puppy, confused. "I'm sorry, sir," he said, "but I don't know you."

"Don't you remember me? I'm your Uncle Frank!"

Phineas examined Frank for a moment. "No disrespect, sir, but I definitely don't know you."

"Phineas," Linda said, "you were very young when you last saw him. This is Frank, your father's brother, and your uncle."

"I thought Dad only had one brother," commented Phineas, obviously confused. Frank chuckled and ruffled Phineas's hair.

"I think you're confused, sport," he said. "I'm not his brother." He pointed at Lawrence. "I'm the brother of your biological father, Phillip."

Phineas's eyes widened; his mouth dropped open in shock. Memories from his early years, those concerning Phillip, flooded into his mind. And finally, one memory caught his attention. It was during his second birthday; everyone in the Flynn family was present, including Frank, who gave him a puppy he and Candace named Bucky.

"I remember you now," Phineas said. "You gave me Bucky during my second birthday."

"Hey, that's right, sport!" replied Frank, still smiling. "My, such a brilliant memory! He's just like his father!" Linda and Lawrence began shaking their heads, motioning Frank to stop mentioning Phillip, but they failed, for Frank continued. "You know, sport, when we were your age, we'd play hide-and-seek. Now, I loved going to one particular place, and I would use it as a hiding spot during our games. He wouldn't find me at first. However, he deduced where I'd hide, and now, I didn't know any other good spots to hide! My, such good times..."

Phineas looked at the ground, downcast. He remembered playing hide-and-seek with Phillip and Candace as a toddler, and his father initially wouldn't find him for hours. But then, all of a sudden, Phillip would keep finding him easily. Maybe it was just like what Frank said; Phillip deduced where he'd most likely hide. But all of those games were still fun, and now, thanks to that bomb he practically had in his hands, Phillip would never play those games with him and Candace again...

Frank noticed Phineas's glum mood and looked at Linda and Lawrence. "I shouldn't have mentioned that, shouldn't I?" he noted, to which Linda and Lawrence nodded. Sighing heavily, he looked at Phineas and put an index finger under his nephew's chin to lift up his face so he can face him. "Look, Phineas, I know you're going through a tough time."

"Well, duh!" Phineas cried, stepping away from Frank. "Why should I listen to _you_? You may really be my uncle, but I've never seen you for much of my life! Why did you even leave in the first place? You could've been a good comfort to me when he... you know!"

"Phineas!" exclaimed Linda, but Frank sighed.

"No, Linda, it's okay. He deserves an answer to that. All of you do.

"See, when Phillip... left this world, I was devastated. I lost the best big brother a guy could ask for. When I found that the ones responsible for his death have escaped from prison, I went after them, and I took Wallace and Jamie with me. That's why I left. I wanted to seize this opportunity to take revenge against them. Make them _pay_ for what they've done to shatter our family.

"So, I pursued those criminals all around the country. I tried to catch up with them, but every time I got to the town I was told they were in, they've already moved on to the next town. And six months ago, the trail went cold. However, I didn't give up, although I now think I should've. I've spent too much time away from you guys, not even bothering to pay you a little visit."

"So what got you to come back, Frank?" asked Linda.

"Wallace heard on the radio that the criminals have been apprehended again and put back into prison," Frank replied. "With my chance at retribution permanently gone, I decided that I should come back now, see how you're doing."

"Well, we were doing fine until you came back!" Phineas chided angrily. Before Linda can say anything to Phineas, the inventor dashed away from the adults and into the house. Frank looked at Linda.

"I'll talk to him," he said.

* * *

Isabella couldn't help but feel that something was strangely amiss as Katie escorted her to the Fireside Girls clubhouse. Approaching the front door, the blonde girl knocked on it nine times rhythmically, and the door soon opened to reveal Gretchen.

"Hey, Katie," the auburn-haired girl greeted. "_Now_ are you gonna tell us what's going on?"

"Yes," replied Katie quickly, stepping inside the building with Isabella and closing and locking the door.

Isabella examined the room's occupants; besides Katie and Gretchen, there was Baljeet, Buford, Django, Irving, the other Fireside Girls, Jeremy, Stacy, Coltrane, Jenny, and Albert. All of them were wearing looks of confusion on their faces as Katie stepped towards the corner, where an object was stationed, an object that was unidentified due to the purple drape covering it.

"Can all of you group up to the center of the room?" Katie asked. Everyone looked at each other, puzzled, before obliging.

"Katie," said Isabella, "_what's_ going on?"

"Trust me, you'll see." Katie then pulled the drape away, revealing the object to be some sort of large, futuristic turret. Before anyone can have the chance to gasp, the blond Fireside Girl pressed a button and a laser immediately enveloped the group. When the laser disappeared a few seconds later, everyone stared at the wall blankly. Finally, Isabella spoke.

"I _remember_."

"Oh, good," said Katie. "I was afraid I might've stolen the wrong machine; it wasn't labeled..."

"Huh?" Buford asked. "What do ya mean by 'stolen'?"

"Katie, what's going on?" asked Isabella. "We're not supposed to remember all of this!"

"I know, I know. But I had to! I couldn't stand to watch as you guys don't remember a thing when it's obvious that you should!"

"Wait a minute," Baljeet interjected, "_you_ remembered everything while we _didn't_? Weren't you zapped by that Amnesia-Inator?"

"Yes, yes I was. But I was wearing a special anti-Inator helmet."

"You WERE?" exclaimed Isabella. "Why didn't you give us some?"

"My great-uncle was watching me; I couldn't. Look, the reason why I remember is because those guys at O.W.C.A. let me."

"How come?" asked Stacy.

Katie hesitated for a moment, but finally, she exhaled deeply and replied, "They're gonna kill me for telling you all this, but... I'm a spy for the O.W.C.A."

"WHAT?" everyone cried.

"Yeah. See, when I was younger, I never saw my parents much, for they always went to this mysterious job and left me with a babysitter. One day, my babysitter was sleeping and I followed my parents to the O.W.C.A. headquarters. I was able to infiltrate it and oversee my parents, who turned out to be working as interns. I was caught by Major Monogram-"

"You mean the guy with the unibrow?" interrupted Buford.

"Yes, that's him," replied Katie, a disturbingly strict look raging in her eye. "Now, don't you ever interrupt me _again_, Buford."

Buford gulped nervously, for a girl never gave him an order with such strictness.

"Anyway, he was impressed by my spying skills and the fact that I walked a surprisingly long distance unsupervised and without being abducted, so he, with the approval of my parents, gave me a job: spy on Dr. Doofenshmirtz, the villain living closest to me, and report his activities to him. So, to maintain a cover, I joined the Fireside Girls' troop 46231, the troop covering the region Doofenshmirtz lives in, so I can deliver cupcakes to him every day and see what he's doing with a peek without raising suspicion."

"So we were a _cover_ to you?" Milly asked, outraged.

"Now's not the time, Milly! For now, we have to concentrate on the task at hand!"

"Wait, why'd you zap us with that thingamajig?" Irving asked.

"Like I said, I couldn't bear to see you all forget. So, I stole this device from my workplace and brought it here. The others won't ever find out, because I was able to use another device to duplicate it and left the duplicate in its place."

"And exactly why didn't you bring along Phineas and Ferb?" asked Isabella.

"Because they're in danger. If I brought them along also, this danger would follow us and we would all be caught in its terror."

"In _danger_?" Isabella cried. "In danger from who?"

* * *

Perry saw the DEI building come into view and pressed a button that ejected him from his hover-jet. Landing professionally on the balcony while the hover-jet flew away in its autopilot mode, the platypus put on his best fighting stance and rolled into Doofenshmirtz's main laboratory and saw three people, all shrouded in shadow.

"Ah, Perry the Platypus!" greeted a familiar voice. "It's so nice of you to make an entrance by landing on the open balcony, not kicking down the front door! Ya know-"

"Enough of this, Doofenshmirtz!" a second voice snarled. "We must unravel our plan as soon as possible!"

Perry stiffened, for he recognized the second voice at once. But... but it couldn't be...

The three people stepped out of the shadow. The first one Perry identified was none other than Doofenshmirtz, a goofy yet evil smile on his face. The second was Norm, still looking as optimistic as ever for a robotic servant. And the third was someone Perry thought he'd never see again.

Perry chattered in horror, and the Shadow replied with a grim smile, his green eyes burning with triumph.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now it looks like more of the "Avengers: Endgame" comparisons are coming back in full swing! A slightly different version of the Shadow taking the place of the old, vanquished one to finish what the old one had started? Not to mention a new version who already knows how the old one failed in his plans and knows how to get around these same failures this time around? I'm a psychic or what? Because these similarities just feel a little uncanny for my own good.
> 
> Anyway, that aside, I will reiterate that this sort of feels like unnecessary extra baggage. Once again, I acknowledge that the story should've ended a few more chapters ago. I guess I was just unsatisfied with how the climactic final showdown ended up being and decided to settle for some crude improvisation. I believe this was also the point where I had gotten off the train that was the "Evil Phineas" rewrite trilogy, so there's that. But, what can I do about it? I just want to repost this for old time's sake, because everyone's been clamoring about this story for ages and I'd be a horrible writer if I just kept my loyal readers deprived of this for too long now. I owe my success to you all, after all.
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this late chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	29. The New Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Shadow explains to Perry how he came back, and his new plan to seek revenge against the one who stood in his way last time: Phineas Flynn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! I do apologize if this chapter was a little late! But if you've been following my profile updates, then you'll know that I have been preoccupied with another fic of mine. It was a project that I had been planning and hoping to write for about five years, and I finally found the opportunity to begin serious work on it and publish it. I am still not entirely sure how much of an effect that fic will have on my update schedules for this story and others, because I intend to update that one around three times a month (don't worry about me getting swamped by the heavy workload; I write its chapters well in advance). I was hoping that my updates for this fic and a couple of others would become a bit more regular heading into 2021, but now I'm not too sure. I will keep you all in the loop through future updates to my profile.
> 
> Alright, enough of this rambling! On with the long-awaited chapter. ENJOY!
> 
> P.S.: Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

Perry chattered angrily and ran forward towards the Shadow, intending to attack him, but all of a sudden, robotic arms appeared from the darkness and ensnared the agent's limbs and tail, while a final one removed his fedora and tossed it to the other side of the room, removing all means of escape. The Shadow chuckled maliciously as he stalked towards Perry, his burning, green eyes alive with evil and sadism.

"Surprised, little platypus?" he asked. "I'm betting you are. You're obviously wondering how I managed to make a surprising return like this."

"Yeah, give Perry the Platypus the backstory!" encouraged Doofenshmirtz, but the Shadow looked at him with a glare of annoyance and hatred that silenced the evil scientist. Grinning with relief, the Shadow then faced Perry again.

"See, platypus," the Shadow explained, "while I knew my chances of succeeding in my plot to conquer the multiverse were high, I concocted a backup plan in case my scheme was thwarted by resistance. Using the least likely thing to resurrect a villain, the Turn-Everything-Evil-Inator, I modified it to store data about myself. My memories, DNA (if there _was_ anything), capabilities of evil, everything. All of that will then be projected into a duplicate through the modifications to the device. All it took was to convince this dim-witted scientist-" This comment earned a "HEY!" from Doofenshmirtz. "-to flick the switch, and BAM! Here I am. So technically, I'm not the Shadow, I'm just a duplicate. A duplicate that shares his creator's attributes, however, including his desire to conquer.

"But I do not plan to put this glorious plan in motion, not just yet. You see, my primary objective at the moment is to get rid of everything standing in my way, so then the problems that plagued my original will not bother me the moment I put a kick-start to my invasion forces. And those problems are called your owners and their miserable friends! It'll be foolproof, and this time, there'll be NO way I will be thwarted!"

Perry's eyes widened. This couldn't be happened _again_! The platypus struggled against his bonds, but unfortunately, they refused to tear and break. The struggle earned a malicious cackle from the Shadow.

"HA! You think resisting's gonna be repaid with escape? Think again! ...You know, I could destroy you right here, right now. But no, I shall not do that. Not _yet_. I have a better plan for you right now. And it takes only one word to describe your function for me: _bait_."

Perry chattered loudly and with ferocity before struggling against the robotic arms again. Doofenshmirtz raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, kiddo?" he asked.

"What, Doofenshmirtz?!" demanded the Shadow.

"Maybe we should put Perry the Platypus in a better trap-"

"NO! Robotic arms are good enough for this meddling animal! D'you wanna get thwarted again, or not?"

Doofenshmirtz sighed. "No," he replied. Perry's eyes softened; obviously, since the villain was zapped by the Amnesia-Inator, he couldn't remember the warning signs for working with an over-the-top villain like the Shadow, who had now obviously convinced him to join his side again.

"Good." The Shadow then placed a small chip on Perry's collar, with some difficulty due to the agent's resisting. "Here, platypus. This is a tracking chip. You will bring Phineas Flynn, Ferb Fletcher, and all of their friends and family here to DEI. I cannot do that myself, for I do not wanna raise the attention of the OWCA. How _you_ will bring everyone's attention is up to you.

"However, if this tracking chip shows that you are going somewhere other than 2308 Maple Drive, I will detonate it. Yes, this gadget's also an explosive. And if you try to remove it, all you will get is the shock of your life. And don't think about signaling anyone; this thing also has a camera on it. By the way, when I detonate that baby, not only will it take you, but _anyone_ near you. You'd never imagine how much boom juice you can fit into a small chip like that. And you don't want that kind of blood on your hands, now would you? _Agent_?"

Perry chattered angrily, but his eyes then softened and he bowed down his head in defeat. The Shadow smiled triumphantly as Doofenshmirtz pressed a button on the wall, causing the robotic arms to retract into the darkness and releasing Perry.

"Now, go platypus!" the Shadow ordered. "And don't come back without your owners!"

Perry let out one last chatter of hatred at the Shadow before summoning his hover-jet, which he jumped into and commandeered to fly away.

Inside the hover-jet, the gears in Perry's mind were whirring at fast speeds. He needed to find a way to warn Phineas and Ferb and also follow the Shadow's orders without goading the villain into detonating the chip on his collar. But _how_?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Indeed, short chapter IS short. According to my word count, it's less than 1,000 frigging words, if you do not count the Author's Notes. Knowing my writing style nowadays, I'm confident that I could do a whole lot better than that. A chapter that's less than 1,000 words is child's play for me. XD XD XD
> 
> Anyway, this is a chapter literally dedicated to the long, old cliché of the villain rambling and providing exposition on his dastardly evil scheme. It's a little chapter that would make Doofenshmirtz proud. :P Anyway, it looks like the Shadow has started to learn from his original incarnation's mistakes and is intent on addressing them first before he initiates his own scheme of world domination. And it also looks like Doofenshmirtz, even while under the effects of his Amnesia-Inator, is already starting to sound his inner alarm bells when it comes to working with the Shadow.
> 
> Also, for all of the new readers, let's see how Perry gets himself out of THIS pickle. ;D
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this late chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


End file.
